They who have read the Idylls of the King (and who has not ?) may think of "lissome VIVIEN," when

they hear of a "young female" being "fond of the lure," and moreover "partially entered to larks." Nor will the word "MERLIN" serve at all in such case to lessen the illusion. But we surely need not go back quite so far as good KING ARTHUR's time to meet with a "young female" who answers this description. Why, every nine in ten of our bread and butter misses have been thoroughly well fitted to come forward as respondents to it. The simplest of them show a

fondness for the "lure" at a very early age, and are trained to 'strike" a lover ere they get their bibs and tuckers off. Loverhawking is a sport for which young females" in petticoats seem as naturally fitted, as the young females in feathers, one of whom above is advertised, are in general found suited for the other kind of sport. Just as our young Merlins are trained to strike the lure, so are our Young Misses schooled to bring down (to an offer) any lover they're let fly at. Their game generally consists of those of us poor creatures who have feathered our nests well; and the better our nests are lined the worse in general it is for us. At the very moment, may be, when we are most in feather, and are pluming ourselves on the snug nest-egg we have laid, down swoops some young and well-trained female Merlin on our head, and we surrender up our life into the claws of the enchantress.

Whether a young lady on her entrance to a boarding-school, may with propriety be spoken of as being "entered to larks," is a question which we leave to stronger minds to agitate. Flustered as we are by mere suggestion of the query, we dare not trust ourselves to dwell on it, or hazard a response. As the question is however one of national importance, it would be well if information were collected on the subject: and were Parliament now sitting, we should certainly propose that a Committee be appointed to examine and report on so momentous a moot point. Should it be found that even "partially" such really is the fact, the discovery, of course, would strengthen our belief, that human creatures have a something birdlike in their being, and that young Misses and young Merlins show a natural affinity and marked likeness in their tastes. Were lovely woman classed among the feathery creation, her gift of gab might well entitle her to perch with the poll-parrots, were not her fondness for the lure a sufficient indication that a place among the hawk-tribes is the right one to assign to her.

Napoleon as an Italian Image-Boy.

(Speaking to the Italians.)

"Buy my fine Image! PLON-PLON! Little PLON-PLON! Pretty KING! Corpo di Baccho, beautiful King! Real Plaster of Paris! Buy my fine Image! Buy! Buy! Cheap-cheap. You shall have him for nothing!'

THE GREAT SEA-SIDE BUILDING SQUABBLE. A LARGE and influential open-air Meeting of Operative Juveniles engaged in Seashore Building was held on Ramsgate Sands on Monday morning last, with the view to their determining what attitude to take in reference to an alleged combination of their nursemaids for the purpose of shortening their hours of spade-labour. The Meeting for the most part was composed of Master Builders, but a fair sprinkling of Misses were also in attendance, who appeared to take great interest in the general proceedings. A splendid sand-heap being raised and scooped into a seat, a severe struggle ensued as to who should act as Chairman. The post of honour was, however, at length assigned to MASTER BOUNCER, who voted himself into it, he being much the biggest of the Master Builders present. An order being issued to strike work and shoulder spadesThe Chairman opened the proceedings by observing that they met there to resist an act of tyranny, such as was an insult to all freeborn British children, and which he for one would never stoop to brook. (Applause.) He would not use slang phrases more than he could help; but they might perhaps have heard their Pas talk about "pocketing an insult." Well, he had put this insult in the pocket of his pinafore, and with their permission he would proceed to read it out to them. (Hear!) It was signed by all the nursemaids in Ramsgate, and ran thus:

"I declare that neither in my present place of nursemaid, nor in any future situation I may occupy, will I demean myself by working more than Nine Hours per diem, as overseer of the children while building on the sand: nor, without advance of wages, will I ever undertake any manner of spade-labour, or in any way assist them in the progress of their works; nor will I engage myself to stop the Master Builders from dabbling in the sea, whether it be with or without their shoes or stockings; nor more than twenty times an hour will I run in and prevent their being carried off their legs, or tumbling themselves down and rolling in the water, as but for constant watching they inevitably would do."

This, they must allow, was a most obnoxious document. He could not read the signatures, for most of them were marks; but he believed, as he had said, that it was signed by all the nursemaids who were then in Ramsgate, and delegates were stationed at the pier-head and the railway to prevent any nursemaid from arriving without signing it. The document had artfully been put forth on a Monday, just when his hearers knew their Pas had gone away to town, and would not be back until the Husbands' Boat on Saturday. Here then was a week of gross oppression to look forward to. (Groans.) What was to be done was more than he could say, and he therefore begged to be excused from saying it. (Cheers, and a giggle, which was instantly suppressed.) He would however call on some one to get up and suggest something, and if that something were worth anything, he would use his strongest influence towards carrying it out. (Renewed cheering.)

Several pinafores here rose in a most excited state, but the Chairman's eye first catching that which buttoned in MASTER BLOGGINS, that young gentleman obtained the precedence of speech. Striking a tragic attitude, and assuming as sepulchral a voice as age allowed him, he said:

"My name is BLOGGINS, upon Highgate Hill

My father feeds

Here the orator was interrupted by a spadeful of sand, which was thrown so accurately that it almost choked him. Advantage being taken of his temporary speechlessness, MASTER JAWLER gained permission to speak by way of proxy. He said that what their Chairman had told them was quite true. They were in fact the victims of as wicked a conspiracy as had ever come in his experience to witness. (Sensation.) In the whole course of his life (and he begged to say he should be Six next April) he had never had acquaintance with so tyrannous an act. The combination of their nursemaids was a piece of foul oppression, which they, as rising Englishmen, were bounden to resist. (Cheers.) The declaration was an insult to the youngest understanding. It was like setting a sum in addition or subtraction, [in his warmth the orator pronounced this word "substraction"] to a boy who'd got as forward as the double rule of three! How to show their marked contempt for it was what they now had to consider, and he for one should not feel easy in his pinafore until their brutal tyrants were made to bite the dust. (Shrill cheers, and shouts of "Bravo! Go it, Gussy!")

MASTER BRIGHTEYES said he had no wish to make a row, but in his opinion the last speaker was a duffer. (Cries of "Order!" and "Oh, crikey!") Why, what did his speech amount to? A mere volley of hard words. Now he (MASTER BRIGHTEYES) could use hard words as well as any boy. He could pronounce "Kosciusko," and say the whole of Peter Piper" six times without missing. But it was no good calling names, when there was nobody to listen to them. (Hear!) If they wished to free themselves, and flabbergasterfy their nursemaids (yes, that was a hard word: he'd found it in a sentimental nigger song which he was learning), it was by deeds not words that they could hope to do it. They must all rise as one man ("hear, hear!" from six pinafores), and go to their Big Brothers, and get them at once to kick the nursemaids out of doors, and then to telegraph to town for their Pas to send them new ones.

MASTER SLYBOOTS feared his friend would find his dodge would be no go. From the knowledge which he (MASTER SLYBOOTS) had of their Big Brothers, he should say they were more likely to kiss nursemaids than to kick them. (Cries of "oh! oh!" from the Masters, and "oh, my!" from the Misses.)

MASTER SLINKER could corroborate (the word he used was “crobrate”) the last speaker's assertion. He and his chum SLYBOOTS, having both inquiring minds, had kept a watch on their Big Brothers, and had often (through the keyhole) seen them do what was imputed to them. (Loud hisses and groans, and cries of "you're a sneak!")

MASTER SMITH Suggested, if the Big Brother plan failed, they had better see if their big Sisters could not help them. Girls had nothing on earth to do, except to loll about on camp-stools, work crochet, and read novels; and it would be an act of charity to give them occupation. They might just as well, he thought, employ their time as nursemaids, as go bathing for the sake of letting their back hair down, or walking up and down the pier to make their cheeks red. (Oh! oh!). If they'd do this, their Pas would save no end of wages, which might be spent at Christmas time in pantomimes and-and-(a voice " And pudding!") Yes, and pudding; he begged to thank his honourable friend there for the hint. He was going to add "and lollipops," but pudding was more substantial and he liked it better. (Hear, hear! and a cry, “Oh, so do I; don't you, BOB?")

MASTER JONES observed that this was a departure from the question, which was not whether they liked lollipops-of which there was no doubt—but whether they could lick their nursemaids, which he thought seemed far more questionable. What their maids had to complain of he really could not see. For his own part he was ready to work twelve hours on the sand, and he could not conceive how persons could get tired in only nine of it.

A very little lady in a white frock and mauve mantle, protested with a pout that she could do without a nursemaid; and as for helping them at "thand-heapth," she thought that their big "thithterth" would be only in the way. Some children were of course not so able to protect themselves: but for her part, she considered that when a girl was three years old, she was most fully competent (the fair speaker called this "tompetent") to take care of herself.

The Chairman said that this was the best speech he had listened to. If girls didn't want a nursemaid, surely boys could do without one. He should therefore ask his Ma to give his her discharge; and to settle the whole business, he should move this Resolution:

"That this Meeting, feeling competent to take care of itself, resolves henceforth

to dispense with the attendance of its nursemaids, and further to take steps to press upon its Parents that it determines to be naughty till its wishes are made

good."

This heroic resolution was seconded and carried amidst such a burst matter; whereat with some precipitation the Meeting was dispersed. of cheering, that several anxious mothers came to see what was the

Palmerston Sitting on a Rail.

LORD PAM has been coming out in quite a new character, which fits him just as elegantly as the many hundred of characters he has played in his lifetime. He has been doing the railway navigator at Romsey. He trundled a wheelbarrow backwards and forwards, and filled it with earth in a majestic style that entitles him to be called "The King of Spades." The people cheered lustily, delighted to find their Premier such a hearty son of the soil. Should the cry ever be raised of "How TO MAN THE NAVVY," PALMERSTON will know most dexterously how to do it.