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up to my mouth; while this elegant You're very good, sir,' answered Pegappeal to my organs of taste rendered gy; ye'll no find mine's the warst bara reference of the same kind imperative gain. But recollect this both of you,' on the part of Mrs. Peggy. I was now continued I, 'I will give no more than pretty much in the same dilemma, in three shillings the hundred; it is quite the decision of the comparative merits enough in all conscience.'-Three shilof an oyster, as Mr. Paris of old, when lings!' cried Mrs. Grizzel, putting her besieged by the three goddesses who hands in the mass of petticoats in which claimed the prize of beauty; and not to her pockets were enveloped; three make an invidious distinction between shillings'-ye's no get my oysters for my two friends, I took an oyster in three shillings the day.'-Three shileach hand from the rivals, and, had my lings, and the oysters sae scarce' ejamouth been large enough, or the capa- culated Mrs. Peggy. 'It may be enough city of my throat allowed, I should have for Grizzy Thamson's oysters, but ye's swallowed both at once to evince my ne'er get mine for that price.'— Very impartiality. I dispatched both in an well,' said I, 'I don't want them; I interval so short, however, that I am would rather not buy any;' and I turnunable at this moment to say which had ed to go away. Hear me come back, the priority in running the race into my Mr. Columbine,' exclaimed Grizzel; stomach; and to end the conference I I'll tak your siller for handsel, but said, in my gravest manner, 'I'll tell maun pit anither sixpence till't.'--Not you what I'll do, Grizzel: You offered, one farthing more,' replied I.— Weel, me your oysters first.-That's God's weel, a wilfu' man maun aye hae his truth, the cadie heard me,' said Grizzel. will,' said Grizzel, moralizing upon the -But Mr. Currantbush, ye gart me occasion. As mine's in your tankard promise to keep ye gude anes,' inter- ye may tak mine too,' said Peggy, rupted Mrs. Peggy. Haud your with a self-congratulatory smile; but tongue, ye haverel, and let the gentle- mind ye're awn me a shilling the - man speak,' said Mrs. Grizzel.-Go morn.' you clavering auld fool,' retorted Peggy, I ken as weel how to serve a gentleman as you.'

All this time I could not get in a word, and turned my head to the one side and to the other, as the calls on my attention were bandied about from side to side. But seeing little prospect of a speedy termination to the statement of the case, I again interposed. 'You offered me your oysters first, Grizzel; count me out half a hundred.'-'Half a hunder oysters!' said Grizzel, with a face in which astonishment was painted, -half a hunder oysters! Na, I winna affront your leddy by sending hame half a hunder oysters to your house. I winna affront ye, Mr. Columbine, whether ye pay me or no.'-Well, let it be a hundred then,' said I.— Yes, sir,' said Grizzel, her face assuming its wonted placability Yes, sir; Cadie! Isbel! -Is nae blind Isbel your cadie, Mr. Columbine?' And Peggy,' said I, turning to the other nymph, who during the latter part of the transaction looked disappointment personified, 'Peggy, I'll take a hundred from you likewise.'

ye

Blind Isbel got the oysters, and up stairs we went to the principal part of the market. At the top of the stair I was recognized by Kate Lugworm, who came to me with a face of importance, and in a half whisper said, 'I've gotten the cats the day for you, Mr. Combsbrush; there's just sax o' them; and the gudeman fought twa hours this mornin' before he could get them out o' the nets.-Ye'll no grudge me a shillin the piece for them. A shilling a piece for sea cats, Katherine; that is a great deal too much. I have often bought them for two pence.'- Ah, but sir, ye ken they're no to be had every day, and they're very destructionfu' to the nets. I've gotten half a crown for them before now frae Mr. Wilson and Mr. Neill the Naturals o' the Vermin Society in the College for specimens. But come and see them, and I'm sure ye'll no grudge the siller.' I went to the stand accordingly, and saw the ugly animals, which, however hideous in appearance, I beg to recommend to lovers of good eating. See sic beauties,' said Katherine; a loupin ; every

ane o' them will be three pund weight, and there's nae cats in the market the day but my ain. I'm sure after their heads are cuttit aff they'll mak a dish for a lord. As you have taken the trouble to offer them to me, Mrs. Katherine, said I, you know I am at a word, I shall give you two shillings for the half dozen.".

Our bargain was here interrupted by the arrival of a Frenchman, a little gentleman with 'spectacles on nose,' who, on surveying the fish on Katherine's table, exclaimed, Vat ugly devil! are dese poissons-fishes, dat is, I mane, goot voman? Poison, Sir!-Na, they re nae mair poison than ony fish in the market:-them that eats paddocks need na be fear'd for seacats, I think.But that cod's head ye're looking at, (for the Frenchman had fixed his eyes very knowingly upon this article, I'll gie you very cheap ye'll get it for saxpence.'-Mon Dieu! a sixpence for dat head of cod; dat is trop cher, my goot voman, ver much too dear; but I vill for de head give twopence; or if you give me dis tail along vid head, all in one bargain, den ver vell; I vill take for one penny more, dat is all.'-Weel, weel, tak them, an nae mair about it. Whare's your cadie, or hae you a clout?''Stop un little, my goot voman,' said the Frenchman, spreading a dirty pocket handkerchief, which he drew from a ridicule in his hand; 'stop un little time, my mistress, till I put de fish in dis ridicule;' and having finished stuffing the mutilated fragments of the cod-fish into the little basket, he paid his three-pence and went away,-not, however, without turning back several times to look at the dog-fish, and muttering as he went along, Vat ugly devil, dat poisson, ugly devil certaine

ment.'

'Now that man's awa, I'll tell you Mr. Combsbrush, ye's get the cats for three shillings,' said Katharine, and I'll gie you half a dozen o' thae flukes to the bargain.'No, no,' replied I,' that won't do, Katherine; I won't give more than two shillings-not one farthing. Eh, I canna tak that, sir; but mak it saxpence mair, and they're yours-it'll aye be a dram to

me.'-'No, can't do it; and I was proceeding along to another stall, as the only means of hastening the conclusion of the bargain. Mrs. Katherine allowed me to go so far, before calling me back, that I was more than half determined to return and take the fish at her own price, when her voice sounded like a bugle through the market, Hy, sir!-Hy, Mr. Combsbrush! ye're no gaun till leave me for a saxpence? Come here and tak the fishwe manna be ower hard.-Isbel, haud your basket.'-I returned again to the stall, having, as I conceived, gained my point; and Katherine was in the act of putting the cats in the basket upon the woman's shoulder, when I thought I perceived that she had changed the fish I saw on her table for smaller ones. As this is a common trick in the market, I made no secret of my suspicions, and taxed her roundly for the imposition. You are ower auld farrent, ma bonnie man, I see; ye'll scarcely let poor folk live now-a-days;' and upon my insisting for others, she produced out of a creel, where were some dozens of the same animals, the identical fish which she had exhibited on her table when I first accosted her.

Blind Isbel and I now proceeded to a stall opposite, where haddocks were the chief fish exposed to sale. A lady was at this time cheapening a few of them. 'I'll gie you a dizzen o' nice anes for twa shillings, mem.'—' Two shillings!' replied the lady; 'I would give you a shilling for them, provided they were new caught, but they don't, I think, seem very fresh.'- Fresh, mem! they were ta'en out o' the sea this mornin'; ye surely dinna ken caller fish when ye see them. Look at that,' said she, putting a slimy thumb in the opening of the gills, to shew their untarnished redness. The fish, notwithstanding the honest woman's asseverations, had certainly been kept a day or two, and were not just such haddocks as a connoisseur would have purchased. The lady looked doubtingly for a moment, and then having made up her mind, shook her head, and removed to another stall. My friend the fist wife, as she was retiring, began a

at their backs, she tumbled fairly into will I give, and I must have a lobster the tub, and Jenny above her. to the bargain-I'll rather take my The immense package of petticoats chance of going round the market increasing her naturally not over-smallHoot, you'll surely mak it eight. See to that lobster, look at the rawn, its worth half a crown itself--but I'm out o' breath wi' that outrageous woman,' said Jenny. Only seven for the whole, Jenny, take or want."— Weel, I'll just take your bode; but mind ye re awin me a shilling,' said she putting the turbot and lobster into blind Isbel's basket. I now retreated from the scene of contest. Tibby, being relieved from her unpleasant situation with no small difficulty, by the assistance of two of her companions, was shaking her dripping vestments, and threatening vergeance. I'll mind you, my woman, whan we get to Fisheraw; ye're no done wi' this yet; I'll learn ye till use a woman that might be your mither in sic a way as this.'

shape, and the weight of her antago nist's person, pressed Tibby so closely into the tub, that she was as incapable of motion as if she had formed an integral part of it. Jenny now recovered her head-deckings, and having hastily adjusted them, came back to the sale of the turbot, amidst cries from her companions of "Weel done, Jennyweel done, my woman-gie the illtongued jade a good sousing in her ain dirty water. Every body has their failings, and ye're nae waur than anither That randy's put me a' throughither,' said she to me, and no to keep you langer waiting, ye sall get the choice of the turbots for eight shillings, sir,-No, Jenny, I'll give no more than seven,-not a penny more

THE reception which the King has experienced in Ireland having created some curious speculations on both sides of the Channel, perhaps you would excuse a few remarks upon the subject, from one not altogether mystified by its exaggerations. That there was much of loyalty in the abstract, and much of sincere affection for the visitor personally, there can be no doubt; but that much of what appeared enthusiasm arose entirely from the workings of interest there is in my mind just as little. Before I advert more particularly to the immediate subject of this notice, some short retrospect is necessary, as well to shew why a British king, landing as a friend in Ireland, should have been in the native phrase "heartily welcome," as why that welcome should more particularly wait upon the reigning monarch.

Henry the Second was the first royal visitor of Ireland. Perhaps, until the present day, for visitor we should read invader. Invited over by the distress of one prince to punish the adulteries of another, he made the weakness of the first and the vices of the last the convenient threshold to his own ambi

tion. With, for that day, an imposing power, and an hypocrisy not less imposing, he marched onward from Waterford to Cashel, amid affected submis sion and extorted homage, and at last, in full assembly in the latter city, pleaded the authority of the infallible Adrian for his personal usurpation of the kingdom! The Irish, even then, priest -ridden, and pope-led as they were, had still some jealousy of ecclesiastical interference in their temporal concerns, and Adrian's bull met as little respect from the "Royal Roderic" of that day as Quarantotti's rescript did in our own time from the radicals of the Catholic convention. Thus was Henry, with the bull in one hand and the sword in other, obliged alternately to swindle his way through the country, until at last the Shannon waters and the wastes of Connaught obliged him to make Dublin, for the first time, the winter residence of a British monarch. There, surrounded by fanatics and impostors, whom he bribed to his purposes by the plunder of the people, he spent his Christmas, praying with priests and revelling with savages, and returned to England to mature his frauds upon the