sponge from him one per cent, and then another, of additional interest, until he ruined him. As to real securities, it would be impossible to obtain money on mortgage for a term of years, except at ruinous interest, and it would be ruinous to take it on any other condition on mortgage than for a term of years. A borrower cannot raise rents or profits in proportion to any rise of interest, and yet people speak of interest being at the rate of eight or ten per cent, as though this could be done, and as though such interest could be safely paid. Were the repeal to take place, it would operate in the most partial manner possible. Men would have to pay interest, not in proportion to their ability, but in proportion 'to their want of it. Rich men-men who could do either with or without borrowing-would be able to borrow at a very low rate of interest; but men of small capital-men who could not commence business, or who could not get forward in business, without borrowing-would only be able to borrow at a rate of interest destructively high. The rich would thus obtain a monopoly of the money-market, of the profits of trade, and of trade itself, against the middling classes. Much of this would take place during peace, and in war, a state as natural to us as peace, the consequences would be fearful. We are confident, that if the usury laws had not existed during the latter part of the last war, the interest of money in the country would have been pushed up to ten per cent, and we need not say what the effects would have been on the national debt, on taxation, and, ultimately, on both borrowers and lenders. When the expense of borrowing money is at all times great when the disclosures which it calls for on the part of the borrower are of the most delicate and dangerous nature when the money, on being received, is sunk in trade, and cannot be taken out

for some years without subjecting the borrower to great inconvenience and loss-and when rents and profits will not rise and fall with the fluctuations of the money-market, nothing could be more erroneous even in mere theory, than to cause borrowers to be perpetually liable to be called upon for any increase of interest that lenders might ask for.

The great capitalists, as a matter of interest, must support the learned Sergeant; but we trust, that all men of business below them throughout the country will meet his bill in the next Session with petitions against it; and we hope, that Government will re-consider the matter-will feel some compassion for the gigantic mass of small and middling traders, and will prevent the moneyed interest from setting its foot upon all the other interests of the state.

The fact is, the innovators, who are now so industriously at work among us, are either mere theorists, or they are the tools of mere theorists. Human nature-the actual condition and conduct of mankind-ought to form the foundation of the calculations of our political economists, and yet these either do not notice them, or they assume them to be what they are not. As, however, the worst species of innovators have been defeated and silenced, we hope that those who are now in the fashion will be deserted before they produce much calamity. The new company bubbles have been pret ty well pricked; the free trade bubbles will, we trust, before long, be treated in the same way; and we anticipate with some confidence, that ignorance, error, romance, and conceit, will ere long be put down by experi ence, practical knowledge of men and things, wisdom and patriotism. With this we abruptly conclude our observations.

Y. Y. Y.

Blue Posts, Cork St,

MY DEAR JAMES, You will be wondering when and how the d-1 I got here, as I have no doubt you thought I was in the Island of Bute, endeavouring to coax myself to drink a little punch with Glasgow gentlemen, who come down of a Saturday, and stay gallanting their ladies all the rest of the week. And such, alas! till lately, was my employment; but the truth must out, James. However salubrious the island may be for a consumption of the lungs, I do not find that, in my case at least, a protracted residence there would have proved the sovereignest thing in life" for the physical state of my purse.

The day previous to my departure from the land of my fathers, there arrived in Rothsay from "mine own rum-antig town" my tailor and his fat rib, for the benefit of the saut water for madam; and he, adding business to pleasure, took the opportunity of calling for the payment of some bills, which I, amongst others, had somehow or other overlooked for more than one Christmas. We cankers of a calm world (half-pay officers) have seldom much superfluous cash about us, so to this very reasonable demand I could only reply in the petrifying language which an eminent banker, a friend of mine, always uses to the holders of doubtful paper-"It does not shoot." As, to my knowledge, this answer was all that many a better man was obliged to be satisfied with, I thought I had shut Snip's potato-trap

QUEEN'S WAKE.

Burlington Gardens, July 10, 1824. effectually, for he departed with every appearance of that dogged resignation so becoming in a tradesman. But think of my horror when I learned that he had been talking of captions, (which I don't like,) hornings, (I like them better,) and fugæ warrants! When wisdom crieth in the streets in such terms as these, long experience hath taught me that it is folly to sport deaf adder, so next morning found me on board the Liverpool steam-boat, and here I am.

But this is not to the purpose. What chiefly moved me to write you at present was the perusal of a little French book on the art of beautifying one's self, which fell in my way here, with some of the contents of which I propose to regale you in this epistle. I should have sent you the book itself, but I fear, James, you know as little of French as Ebony once thought Professor Leslie did of Hebrew ;—besides, many of the means and appliances required for the decoration of the outward man are easy to be had at the shop of the editor, Mons. Antoine, (who, I suspect, has published this work on the same principle that worthy John Murray does the Quarterly, viz. to puff his own wares,) yet I question if in all Ettrick you could buy a pennyworth of any of the " substances miraculeuses pour engrasser les personnes trop maigres," unless it was in the shape of a haggis. Nor could you procure, nor, I fear, if you had it, would you use on any of the forest

Grizzies, "Tour de Gorge Merveilleux pour diminuer les seins trop gros." I think you would despise " Eau Lactée double pour blanchir le nez rouge," and stick to "Eau de Glenlivet double pour rougir le nez blanc ;" and, as for the "Pate de Ebêne," for blackening the eyebrows, you would enjoy more the sight of a pasty of Ebony's, enveloping a dozen of doos, bottomed on a solid foundation of six pounds of beef steaks for filling your kite withal. So that, on the whole, a literal translation, with any hints that may occur in eundo as to substitutes that may be used for all these materials, will answer your purpose much better.

The work in question, then, is intituled "L'Art de se faire aimer des Femmes, et de se conduire dans le Monde, ou, conseils aux hommes,"1 which means neither more nor less than "The gate to gar the lasses like you, and the airt o' bonny behaviour." Now, though you perhaps may think that such advice bestowed upon you is only to

"Gild refined gold and paint the lily,"

yet the wisest of us, James, may be improved by a hint; and though you may not want it yourself, yet some of your cronies in the forest may, so it's no lost that a frien' gets.

After about forty pages of preamble, which may be classed under a head that includes much of the literary productions of all ages, and which you would denominate by the great generic term of Havers, we come, at the commencement of chapter 2d, to the following sentence, which must be highly consolatory to us both, and

of the truth of which you, my dear friend, are a glorious living example "It is known to all the world, that a man's being handsome is by no means necessary to his being a favourite with the ladies, though a good face and figure are all in his favour; therefore (I don't see the sequitur) I must tell you what a good-looking man is ;"2 but we have no concern with that, so we'll just go on to chapter 3d, which treats of baths.

These are divided into three kinds, hot, cold, and air. The first ought to be taken once a-week; the second, as often as convenient; and the third, every day.

For the first, I really fear that hot baths do not abound in Ettrick, but an excellent succedaneum might be found once a-fortnight at least, on the washing day, when you might squat yourself on your hunkers, curcuddy fashion, like the statue of Venus coming out of her shell, up to the chin, in a boyne of saipy sapples, while Grizzy scrubbed you with the dishclout, or hard shoe-brush, or, if you have no such article, a wisp of clean

straw.

As to the cold bath, you can never be much at a loss for it while the water runs so close to your door, though God forefend you should ever again require to resort to it under the stimulus of scalding potatoe broo, as once happened you. But of the air bath, as you may not be familiar with it, I must say a word or two. It's really a pity that you can't read the original instructions, for they are quite sublime.

"An air bath consists in sitting and

3 Des Bains d'Air.

pruning yourself for nearly an hour every morning, as naked as you came into this wicked world of ours. Now, to a man who has so much to do as you, this would be a sad waste of time; but you might amuse yourself in shaving, (though, on consideration, you confine that operation to Saturday at e'en.) But could you not contrive to write a moral poem, or delicate novel, in that situation, as your amatory feelings depend much on the thermometer? or write an article for Ebony, or any other matter that requires a chastened imagination, and the strictest attention to delicacy and propriety? or, as only a given quantity of air is required, could you not abridge the process, (on the same principles that my Glasgow friends do salt-water bathing, by taking it three times a-day, so that ten days make a month's saut water,) by a brushing scamper up the hill and down again? or, better still, a hunt after a bumbee, or a butterfly, in puris, would have a grand, simple, striking, and chaste effect.

As your hair does not curl naturally, you must put it in papers every night; but take care no one catches you at that operation; for if any of the Ebonians got that tale by the right end, it would be a sore hair in your neck, James; and some small time would elapse before you heard the last of it. Great care must be taken that you do not leave your hair in an uproar, like Poodle Byng's; nor in cork-screw curls; nor yet in three-decker style, like the formal and formidable jazy of the minister of the parish.

I can't say I quite agree with the worthy gentleman as to hair; he, contrary to all good taste, giving the pre

"Les

ference to black; and adds what I won't take the trouble to translate. Cheveux blonds et sourtout les Roux sont tres desavantageux."-Did you ever hear of such an Hottentot?

Over-perfuming, it seems, is not the go. It may suffice if you avoid garlic at breakfast, and use the oil of thyme with moderation.

Much is said about the eyes, ears, nose, chin, and every other part of the body, with as much precision of detail as you may have seen the parts laid down in Moore's Almanack; but as the matters anent the mouth may interest you, we shall say a word or two on that subject, as the mode is novel, and the discovery brilliant. "The best mode that ever was tried for keeping the mouth in good order, is to brush your teeth well, and dislodge every shred of mutton-ham or other matter that may be sticking between them, with a toothpick. You had best use Dr Scott's dentifrice." There's news for you.

Having thus, my dear James, put you on the way of making yourself decent, I shall, following the lead of my author, teach you how to do your manners and dress well; and for that purpose I prefer short pithy sentences, in imitation of the Ensign's Maxims, or the Proverbs of Solomon.

1. Before ladies, look as if butter would not melt in your mouth, though you may be the very devil for all that. (P. 73.)

2. A boy may dress like a dandy, but it don't become people at our time of life, or any man of twenty, to play the dandy, or to be imitating the dress of every puppy on Prince's Street.

3. "Shirts should be of the best Dum

fermline, well washed, and the breast well plaited. When they get dirty, or, as the Frenchman says, stinking, after a week's wear, you should put on a clean one.

4. Stockings as thin as a cobweb, that the leg may be seen through them; therefore, discharge Sanquhars from this time forth. I do not observe that holes in them are recommended. (P. 77.)

5. Gloves should be clean, provided always that you wear such articles. In the forest, I believe, mittens have a preference. (P. 78.)

6. Never wear boots or shoes thrice too large for you.

7. Never go to the Border games in an old bonnet. (P. 78.)

8. LET YOUR DRESS BE DECENT. Corollary, forswear the Celtic. (P. 80.) 9. And to conclude, never stare at your silk stockings, as if surprised how you got into them.

Then follows a good deal touching walk and conversation.-Don't be alarmed, James; I use not these words in the sense they are employed by the minister, when rebuking for skulduddery.—But first, a few words would not be amiss, touching your carriage in company. (P. 84.) You should sit on your chair, douce like, and not swing about. You should not keep rubbing the calves of your legs-nor pulling up your breeches-nor scratching your head-nor twitching your nose like Brougham-nor putting your hand on your mouth like Kempferhausen. You should neither look stupid nor gaping like the Stot-nor gleg and impudent like your friend wee Francie, but pleasant and pretty as I do.

"One, two, three-

"Shuffle, and puffle, shuffle ;"Look genteel like me.

"Shuffle! shuffle! shuffle !!!"

as old M'Caper our dancing master used to say.

As for walking, " you ought neither to trot like a Highland caddy,

nor waddle with pomp and circumstance, like an Edinburgh bailie, but cultivate an easy, grave, and dignified demeanour, like the Usher of the White Rod. Neither should you pop your nose under every lass's bonnet, nor halloo to folk at a street's length from you, as my friend the bailie did to you, on the first day the Queen's Wake saw the light. Nor run bump against the lieges, when you're glowering up at a lass in the fifteenth story.' When you have a lady on your arm, (particularly in the old town,) you must keep a sharp look-out a-head, and not lead her against the tail of a cod, in a fish-woman's creel.

It farther appears that you should not take two ladies, one on each arm at once. Also, that you should never take hold of a gentleman's arm; but why, I can't tell.9

When at table, you should not be solely occupied with filling your own kite, but take care of the lady who sits next you-help her to little bits at a time, and see that she wants for nothing. You must carve neatly, and not splash all the folks about you.10 But all this is not to prevent you eating with a reasonable twist, for that implies a compliment to your host and his mutton. But by no means gobble your prog, with the avidity of a butcher's dog devouring tripe, for that's abominable.

11 You must eat whatever a lady offers you, though it should choke you. Never say a word at table, as long as you can get wherewithal to occupy your jaws to better purpose.

12 Don't cut your bread, but break it, and above all, avoid taking a snap out of the centre of a round of a loaf, leaving a space the shape and size of a horse shoe, with a proof impression of every tusk in your head, in the vacuum caused by such an enormity.

13 Don't make a hoggish gruntling as you drink, nor conclude your draught with a pegh like a paviour.

M