two sixes! In the next moment he saw that his fellow had also thrown-two sixes!

"The commanding officers were not a little stricken at this strange occurrence: but their orders were precise, and so they commanded both the men to throw again. This was done: the dice were cast, and in the throw of both there turned up-two fives! The spectators now loudly called out that both should be pardoned; and the officers, to ask for new directions, momentarily put off the execution. They applied to the court martial, which they found assembled; and, after a long discussion, the disheartening reply was that the delinquents should decide their lot with new dice. Once more both of them cast, and, lo-each threw two fours!

"This is the finger of God,' said all present.

"The officers again submitted the strange case to the court martial. This time, even the members of the court shuddered; and they resolved to leave the decision to the general-in-chief, who was momentarily expected.

"The Prince of Vaudemont came. He caused the two Englishmen to appear before him: they related to him the trying circumstances of their desertion. The Prince listened attentively, and relieved the poor culprits with the welcome 'Pardon,' adding, 'it is impossible in such an uncommon case not to obey the voice of Divine Providence.'

THE SUPERIOR MAN.

Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, in his Caxtonia, gives this clever portrait of the safe or superior man, winning success by his silence :

"A certain nobleman, some years ago, was conspicuous for his success in the world. He had been employed in the highest situations at home and abroad, without one discoverable reason for his selection, and without justifying the selection by one proof of administrative ability. Yet at each appointment the public said, 'A great gain to the government! Superior man! And when from each office he passed away, or rather passed imperceptibly onward towards office still more exalted, the public said, 'A great loss to the government! Superior man!' He was the most silent person I ever met. But when the first reasoners of the age would argue some knotty point in his presence, he would, from time to time, slightly elevate his eyebrows, gently shake his head, or, by a dexterous smile of significant complacency, impress on you the notion how easily he could set those babblers right, if he would but condescend to give voice to the wisdom within him.

"I was very young when I first met this superior man; and chancing on the next day to call on the late Lord Durham, I said, in the presumption of early years, 'I passed six mortal hours last evening in company with Lord I don't think there is much

in him.'

"Good heavens!' cried Lord Durham, 'how did you find that out? Is it possible that he could have-talked ?'"

THE SEA-SICK MINISTER.

The Earl of Aberdeen, as Minister, had to attend Queen Victoria in her cruisings, very much against his will, or at least against his stomach. He was one of the gravest and most laconic men in the world. The Queen one day undertook to reconcile him to his fate. "I believe, my lord," said she, graciously, "you are not often seasick." "Always, madam," was the grave reply. "But," still more graciously, "not very sea-sick." With profounder gravity, "VERY, madam!" Lord Aberdeen, more than once, declared that if her Majesty persisted in her cruisings, he should have to resign.

THE MASONIC GRIP.

Sir A. Alison, at a Masonic festival at Glasgow, related the following anecdote of what is familiarly termed as above :

"In the Crimean war, during the assault on the Redan, an English officer led a small party of soldiers up to one of the guns placed in a recess of the Redan, and most of the men fell before the tremendous fire with which they were received. The others were attacked by a body of Russians, and the English officer was about to be bayoneted, when he chanced to catch the hand of a Russian officer, and had presence of mind enough to give him a masonic grip. The Russian in a moment struck up the bayonet of the soldier, led his newly-found brother to the rear, and treated him with all the kindness of a mason."

THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.

The late Marquis of Lansdowne one day remarked to Thomas Moore, that he hardly ever spoke in the House of Lords without feeling the approaches of some loss of self-possession, and found that the only way to surmount it was to talk on at all hazards. He added, what appears highly probable, that those commonplaces which most men accustomed to public speaking have ready cut and dry, to bring in on all occasions, were, he thought, in general used by them as a mode of getting out of those blank intervals, when they do not know what to say next, but, in the meantime, must say something. Scarcely any person has ever become a great debater without long

U

practice and many failures. It was by slow degrees, as Burke said, that Fox became the most brilliant and powerful debater that ever lived. Fox himself attributed his own success to the resolution which he formed when very young, of speaking, well or ill, at least once every night. During five whole sessions," he used to say, "I spoke every night but one; and I regret only that I did not speak that night too."

66

A MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FOR FIVE MINUTES.

During the great French revolution, a person named Alexandre, who had been originally an Exchange porter, was the Foreign Minister of France for the space of five minutes! It happened thus: Citizen Alexandre was the friend and understrapper of the influential terrorist, Santerre, and had shown himself a ready and sanguinary Jacobin agent on many infamous occasions. He was therefore known to Robespierre; and on the 22nd of June, 1793, just after the Girondins were destroyed, the Committee of Public Safety wanted, on a sudden vacancy, a Minister of Foreign Affairs. Robespierre, in the hurry, named Alexandre, and the name was instantly transmitted to the Convention. The obsequious president of that assembly at once ratified the nomination and sent the appointment to the Moniteur, where it appeared. Scarcely however had he done so, when such a man as Alexandre appeared so utterly ridiculous for such a place that some members of the Convention present, despite even their fear of Robespierre, carried an amendment, that the appointment should be suspended, and a list to choose from should be made out of persons suited for the office. This effectively cut short Alexandre's official career, and he relapsed into such obscurity that his name never appeared publicly again in the annals of the Revolution.

PREVISION OF WILLIAM IV.

When, in 1789, the Duke of Clarence went to live at Richmond, he became so popular that had the place been a borough, and he not reached his title, but still retained his idea of standing candidate, he would certainly have been elected there. He paid his bills regularly himself, locked up his doors at night that his servants might not stay out late, and never drank but a few glasses of wine. Though the value of crowns," writes Walpole, "is mightily fallen of late in the market, it looks as if his Royal Highness thought they were still worth waiting for; nay, it is said that he tells his brothers that he shall be King before either. This is fair at least." [Slender as his chance was in 1789, Clarence came to the Crown in 1830, on the death of his elder brother, at this time (1789) the Prince of Wales.—Cunningham.]

GEORGE THE FOURTH.

The Right Hon. George Rose, in his Diary, published in 1860, tells us that George the Third could not bear that any of his family should want courage. To which Mr. Rose replied, he hoped his Majesty would excuse him if he said he thought a proper attention to prevent the ill effects of an accident, that had happened, was no symptom of a want of courage. The King then said, with some warmth, "Perhaps it may be so; but I thank God there is but one of my children who wants courage, and I will not name HIM, because he is to succeed me."

NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENTS.

There is a curious fact in the history of Newspapers worth remembering-viz., that the celebrated Cardinal Richelieu was a frequent Correspondent of the Mercurie Français; and that the King himself, Louis XIII., often contributed to its columns. D'Israeli the elder, who gives us this information, adds, "Many articles in the Royal handwriting, and corrected by the Royal hand, are still in preservation."-Dr. Rimbault.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION OF 1848.

On the evening of the 24th of February, 1848, whilst the House of Commons was in session, a murmur of conversation suddenly arose at the door, and spread throughout the house, when was witnessedwhat never occurred before or since, in the writer's experience-a suspension for a few minutes of all attention to the business of the house, whilst every member was engaged in close and earnest conversation with his neighbour. The intelligence had arrived of the abdication and flight of Louis Philippe, and of the proclamation of the Republic. The monarch and his ministers, whose ambitious projects had furnished the pretexts for our warlike armaments, and the gallant prince, whose pamphlet had sounded like a tocsin in our ears, were now on their way to claim the hospitality of England.

Mr. Cobden, who thus relates the eventful news, adds that he was sitting by the side of Mr. Joseph Hume when the tidings reached their bench. Sir Robert Peel was on the opposite front seat, alone, his powerful party having been broken and scattered by his great measure of Corn Law Repeal. "I'll go and tell Sir Robert the news," exclaimed Mr. Hume; and stepping across the floor, he seated himself by his side, and communicated the startling intelligence. On returning to his place, he repeated, in the following words, the commentary of the ex-minister:-"This comes of trying to carry on a government by means of a mere majority of a chamber,

without regard to the opinion out of doors. It is what these people (pointing with his thumb over his shoulder to the protectionists behind him) wished me to do, but I refused."

A "PRIVATE CORRESPONDENT."

During the Peninsular Campaign there appeared in the Morning Chronicle certain letters, which criticised severely, and often unjustly, the military movements of Lord Wellington. His lordship's attention being drawn to these comments, he at once perceived, from the information which they contained, that they must have been written by an officer holding a high command under him. Lord Wellington soon discovered the author of the letters to be no other than Sir Charles Stewart, the late Marquis of Londonderry. As soon as Lord Wellington had made himself master of this fact, he summoned Sir Charles Stewart to head-quarters at Torres-Vedras, and without the least preface, thus addressed him :

"Charles Stewart, I have ascertained with deep regret that you are the author of the letters which appeared in the Morning Chronicle, abusing me, and finding fault with my military plans."

Lord Wellington here paused for a moment, and then continued :

"Now, Stewart, you know your brother Castlereagh is my best friend, to whom I owe everything; nevertheless, if you continue to write letters to the Chronicle, or any other newspaper, by God, I will send you home."

Sir Charles Stewart was so affected at this rebuke, that he shed tars, and expressed himself deeply penitent for the breach of confidence, and want of respect for the Articles of War. They immediately shook hands, and parted friends.-Captain Gronow's Remi

niscences.

THE WILBERFORCE OAK.

The spot whereon Wilberforce_resolved to set about his great work, the Abolition of the Slave Trade, may almost be regarded as "holy ground." This truly Christian resolution was made beneath a venerable oak in the grounds of Mr. Pitt's retreat at Holwood, in the parish of Keston, five miles south from Bromley. In Wilberforce's own words "I got together, at my house, from time to time, persons who knew anything about the matter. When I

had acquired so much information I began to talk the matter over with Pitt and Grenville. Pitt recommended me to undertake its conduct, as a subject suited to my character and talents." Earl Stanhope has recently commemorated this meeting, with excellent