animals usually hostile to each other, congregated together without doing each other any harm. A man who had taken refuge in a tree found it impossible to prevent several snakes from making themselves a shelter under his clothes.

The epithet "wild," as added to "bull," may be left out without impugning Mr. Raikes's veracity. His informant meant by sauvage, excited, mad bulls, not positively wild animals. It might be asked, why are inundations more common in France than in this country? The answer is, because the French occupy themselves with the theoretical question of the défrichement, or clearing of forests, instead of looking to the practical point of the embankment of the rivers themselves.

In Mr. Raikes's time, Russian millionnaire princes were not the myths that they have since become. Their eccentricities were, tradition says, as numerous as their ducats, and the following anecdote of the celebrated Demidoff lends countenance to the popular belief:

M. A. Demidoff, the Russian millionnaire, lately married, at Florence, the beautiful Princesse de Montfort, the daughter of Jérôme Bonaparte. In order to accomplish this marriage, he was obliged to obtain the permission of his own emperor, and the dispensation of the Pope, as his intended bride was a Catholic. He first wrote to H. I. M., binding himself that his children should be brought up in the Greek religion; the emperor not only assented, but gave him the title of prince of some place where his manufactories are situated. He then addressed the Pope for the same purpose, binding himself equally that his children should be brought up in the Catholic faith. He comes to Rome with his bride, and boasts that he has mystified the Pope, adding, that where a man gives 100,000 fr. for a dispensation to marry, he at least should have the right of bringing up his children as he likes. The Pope, hearing this, immediately sent for the régisseur, and asked what was meant by the payment of this extraordinary sum. The poor man said he could not account for it, as he had only received his usual fee of about 10 fr. Upon this the Pope ordered Demidoff out of the Papal States forthwith. It is likewise come to the ears of the emperor, who has deprived M. Demidoff of his title of prince.

The following play of words-an amusement to which the French are much addicted-is unusual from being in Latin, and it is also unusually neat. It was copied from a tomb in Munich by Scrope Davies:

Lady Sandwich said of the boy Jones-the Buckingham Palace sneak -that he must have been a descendant of In-I-go Jones, the architect. The return of the Tories to power brought with it a gleam of hope as to the journalist's future prospects. He addressed the Duke of Wellington, who appears to have been always his staunch friend, but was much disgusted at his want of success.

The Duke of Wellington is detained at Windsor; but Alvanley tells me privately that I shall find him very much aigri by late circumstances. The present

government owes much to the lustre which his great character and universal popularity shed upon it. The Duke knows it, and feels severely that he is thwarted in the few objects which he may wish to see accomplished. He was disappointed that his relation, the Duke of Beaufort, did not obtain the desired embassy; that when he asked the Buckhounds for Lord Rosslyn, the first offer should have been made to Lord Forrester; and one or two other rebuffs of the same nature, that have been inflicted upon him by his colleagues in office, to prove their independence of him who formed the present cabinet, and made them all what they are.

He justly enough observes upon another occasion:

A few lines from the Duke, prove to me that there is not much consideration paid by Lord Aberdeen to his wishes in my favour. And on that question I shall probably never know le dessous des cartes.

The return of the Tories to power appears also to have induced Mr. Raikes to return to his old haunts. After such a prolonged absence, he observes with exceeding truth:

I am very much struck with the mania for gossip which now rages in society here. There seems to be no other subject of conversation in the fine company of London. The only topics that afford interest are local ones. This arises, doubtless, from the fact that, diplomacy excepted, London society is entirely national; while that of Paris, being more absolutely cosmopolitan, leads to greater familiarity with subjects of general import, and the resources of conversation are there, consequently, much less limited.

And,

Dining at White's with Alvanley, Allen, and Standish, put me in mind of old times.

Here is a bit of gossip from Vienna:

"Princess Marie *** walked about the last redoute with the little G (one of the English attachés), who was more than half drunk, and is très joli garçon. She gave him an appointment for the next day at the fashionable milliner's, and preceded him there, and took her place behind the counter. He arrived, was well pleased with the beauty of the unknown, bought some trifles, and went away thinking he had begun an intrigue with a modiste. Two days after he went to Princess ***'s, and there found his modiste in full dress and the extremity of fashion. He was so astonished, he would not believe his eyes, and thought it was some extraordinary and unaccountable dream. Some one reproached her, 'Qu'elle se moquait de lui;' she answered, 'Comment savez-vous que je m'en moque ?' I have not heard of the dénouement."

Anecdotes characteristic of English society for a time take the place of those illustrative of the various phases of French society:

The Dowager Duchess of Richmond is given over. I remember a story of her long ago which, at the time, was often repeated. She went one Sunday with her daughter to the Chapel Royal at St. James's, but being late they could find no places; after looking about some time, and seeing the case was hopeless, she said to her daughter, "Come away, Louisa; at any rate we have done the civil thing." This was completely the idea of the card-leaving dowager of her day. And again:

As Lord and Lady Willoughby were coming to dinner yesterday, at General Fremantle's, where I dined, their carriage drove over a child in Parliament-street, but fortunately without doing it much harm. A mob, of course, was drawn together to the spot; but all agreed that the coachman was by no means in fault, and Lord Willoughby got out of the carriage, and saw that every kind

attention was paid to it. How different was the conduct of a French mob, three years ago, in Paris. The old Duchesse de Dodeauville, passing over the Pont Neuf in her carriage, the coachman by accident drove over a child and killed it on the spot. The mob assembled with frightful cries, and called out, "A la rivière, à la rivière !" meaning to throw the old duchess over the bridge, which they would have executed if the Garde Municipale had not been attracted by the noise. Foiled in this attempt, they picked up the bleeding body of the child, threw it into the old lady's lap, and made the coachman drive away with it.

Mr. Raikes's stay in London was, however, very brief. He appears to have arrived in England early in March, 1842, and to have left again on the 20th of June. The untimely death of the Duke of Orleans had occurred in the interim, and the eventful bearing it had upon the fate of the dynasty was fully felt at the time.

This morning I was stopped in South Audley-street, by Lord Huntley, to tell me that news was this moment arrived by the pigeon-carriers, that the Duke of Orleans had been thrown out of his carriage, and so badly injured that he died in three hours afterwards.

He had gone after the review to see his family, previous to his departure for Plombières; on the road the horses took fright and ran away with the phaeton, near the Barrière de l'Etoile; he jumped out, and was killed by the fall. Just as I got into Grosvenor-square, I met the Duke of Wellington on horseback; I stopped to tell him the news, which he had not heard. He got off his horse, and walked on with me further, talking over the event, and discussing the important results which may arise from it when the king dies. It is a mortal blow to Louis Philippe, as weakening the chances of his dynasty, which it is the most anxious wish of his heart to establish. A long regency will never be supported by this phosphoric nation, and fears must be felt for the increasing power of the republican party. The Duke of Orleans was no friend to this country; that is, he thought he should gain more popularity in France by siding with Thiers and the war party, rather than by seeking an alliance with the English government. The Duke said to me, "I always remember Talleyrand's expression about him, 'Le Duc d'Orleans est un prince de l'école normale.'

Intentionally or accidentally, we hardly know which, this remarkable journal concludes with the following entry :

I this morning received the afflicting news that my old and valued friend, Lord Rokeby, died on the 6th inst., at Naples. An attack of the gout in the stomach acting upon an already shattered constitution, carried him off at a time of life when other men hardly begin to feel the approaches of old age. His talents, his information, his charming disposition, and uniform good temper, rendered him the favourite of every circle both here and on the Continent, where his time has been chiefly spent for the last ten years, while his sterling qualities of high independent feeling, honour, and generosity, commanded the respect and affection of all who knew him. Such friends are rarely to be found by those who are commencing life; how irreparable, then, must be the loss to me who am arrived at that dreary period when new connexions are impossible, and every day diminishes the few remaining links in the chain which binds me to this world.

It would have constituted as just a tribute to Mr. Raikes as to the worthy nobleman for whom it was intended.

OUR INDIAN EMPIRE.

JUST one hundred years ago the victory of Plassey consolidated that magnificent Indian empire, of which the basis had been laid by the AngloSaxon energy of our traders. During one hundred years we have advanced from victory to victory, and continued annexation and appropriation have extended our powers to the furthest ends of the Indian peninsula. How, then, could it be anticipated that the centenary of the battle of Plassey would be inaugurated by the most foul and bloody mutiny ever yet inscribed in the annals of history. It is true that we have known downtrodden nations rise against their oppressors, and satiate themselves with blood, in remembrance of long-endured wrongs, but the Indian mutiny is unparalleled. The policy which has guided the rulers of India has been essentially that of conciliation, and hence the fearful blow that has fallen upon us was unmerited. It may be that such policy was false; that the Asiatic mind is incapable of analysing motives, or drawing a distinction between clemency and weakness; but, at any rate, there is some slight consolation in the thought that, if we have hitherto erred in our treatment of the mixed peoples of India, the error has been one of judgment, and the causes of the outbreak cannot be sought in our tyranny.

The condition of the Sepoys has been the subject of grave consideration to many far-sighted men; even so far back as 1822, Sir Thomas Munro warned the Company, that "owing to the unnatural situation in which India will be placed under a foreign government, with a free press and a native army, the spirit of independence will spring up in this army long before it is thought of among the people." He then proceeds to state that the assemblage of Sepoys in garrisons and cantonments will render it easier for them to consult together regarding their plans. They will have difficulty in finding leaders qualified to direct them; but patience, their habits of discipline, and their experience will hold out to them a prospect of success. They will be stimulated by a love of power and avarice to carry their designs into execution. Does this not seem like a voice from the dead warning us of the present fearful crisis? Nor has there been any lack of advisers from that time to the present. Men like Sir Charles Napier, Colonel Jacobs, and Lord Melville, who agreed on no other matter, were unanimous in drawing the public opinion to the unsatisfactory condition of the Bengal army. The revelations made to the House of Lords by Lord Melville prove that the directors must have known the danger for a long time, and blindly closed their eyes against it. He stated openly that, in 1850, when the Company was sedulously engaged in disgusting Sir Charles Napier, and eventually driving him from their army, because he affirmed it was largely afflicted by a thirst for mutiny-the discipline of that army was, in point of fact, of the worst possible description. The grossest overt acts of mutiny had been committed, and so bad was the condition of the army known to be, that his lordship was entreated not to give utterance to the facts in public, as it was considered undesirable that foreign nations should be made acquainted with the real state of affairs. The late General Anson, from the time he assumed the command, deemed it to be his duty to represent to the Board

of Directors the absolute necessity of increasing the European force in India, but to that recommendation, so far as government was concerned, no sort of attention was paid. On the contrary, the directors, as if desirous to prove their utter incompetency, went on the old wrong path, and unhappily found a willing instrument in Lord Dalhousie. During that nobleman's governorship, the extension of British territory and absorption of native states have tended to alarm the Hindoo. Thirteen different kingdoms or states have been annexed during the last ten years, ten being seized for lapse of male heirs, without regard to the Hindoo law, which admits of adoption. At the same time, their policy was suicidal by striving to bring Europeans under the native law, owing to their insane jealousy of independent settlers, and thus pampering the prejudices of the Hindoos, the Company have at the same time insulted them in their religion, by fostering the efforts of the missionaries. So far, indeed, has this gone, that a colonel of a regiment has actually tried his arts of persuasion on his own troops, and produced consequences which, for the sake of humanity, we believe he could never have foreseen.

Nor must it be forgotten that, for a length of time, a feeling has been rife among the natives that some great crisis in their religious polity is at hand, and that Hinduism will be supplanted by Christianity. As is usual in such cases, old prophecies are raked up to become pregnant with meaning. Mr. Irving tells us in his very valuable work, "The Theory and Practice of Caste," "At Benares there stood a pillar, which was a beautiful shaft of one stone, forty feet high, covered with the most exquisite carving, and dedicated to the god Shiva. A tradition concerning it had long been current among the people, that it was formerly twice as high, was gradually sinking into the ground, and when its summit should be level with the earth, all nations would be of one caste, and the religion of Brahma have an end. During a disturbance which happened at Benares, a few years before Heber's visit, between the Hindus and Muhammadans, during which the former had thrown slaughtered hogs into the mosques, and the latter had polluted the Hindu temples, and especially a well, of peculiar sanctity, by smearing them with cows' blood, this identical pillar was thrown down. The occurrence, connected with the excited state of the public mind and the atrocities which had been committed, was universally regarded as an omen fatal to Hinduism. Again, there is a prophecy that the sanctity of Hurdwar will cease in about forty years from the present time, when pilgrimages will no longer be performed there." For some time previously to the present mutiny, a report was in circulation and believed by the natives, that the "padres" had addressed a petition to the Queen, representing that, whereas in the time of the Mussulman kings the natives were compelled to become Muhammadans, for the sixty years during which a Christian government has held the ascendancy, not one native had by force been made a Christian. "Tippoo made thousands of Hindus become of his religion, while your Majesty has not made one Christian." And the alleged petition recommended that bullocks' and pigs' fat should be employed to grease the cartridges, which the Sepoys would put into their mouths, and thus lose caste, and by this means a certain road will be opened for making many Christians. The report went on to say, that "when the Queen read the Urzee, she was greatly pleased, and replied, This is