s enjoying retirement, or accommodating
himself to the formal restraints of polished society. And yet, after
making this allowance for his erratic life, it is but fair to add that
his descriptions were always exaggerated; and, wearied as he no doubt
was by the uniformity of country life, yet in describing it, he has
evidently seized on the most striking features, and made them more
prominent than they really appeared, even to his fatigued and prejudiced
vision.

In other respects, they are just the sentiments we may suppose would
be naturally entertained by a man like the Attache, under such
circumstances. On the evening after that on which he had described "Life
in the Country" to me, he called with two "orders" for admission to the
House of Commons, and took me down with him to hear the debates.

"It's a great sight," said he. "We shall see all their uppercrust
men put their best foot out. There's a great musterin' of the tribes,
to-night, and the Sachems will come out with a great talk. There'll be
some sport, I guess; some hard hittin', scalpin', and tomahawkin'. To
see a Britisher scalp a Britisher is equal to a bullfight, anytime. You
don't keer whether the bull, or the horse, or the rider is killed, none
of 'em is nothin' to you; so you can enjoy it, and hurror for him that
wins. I don't keer who carries the day, the valy of a treat of julep,
but I want to see the sport. It's excitin', them things. Come, let's
go."

We were shown into a small gallery, at one end of the legislative
wall (the two side ones being appropriated to members), and with some
difficulty found sitting room in a place that commanded a view of the
whole house. We were unfortunate. All the great speakers, Lord Stanley,
Sir Robert Peel, Sir James Graham, Shiel, and Lord John Russell, had
either already addressed the Chair, and were thereby precluded by the
rules of the House from coming forward again, or did not choose to
answer second-rate men. Those whom we did hear, made a most wretched
exhibition. About one o'clock, the adjournment took place, and we
returned, fatigued and disappointed.

"Did you ever see the beat of that, Squire?" said Mr. Slick. "Don't that
take the rag off quite? Cuss them fellers that spoke, they are wuss than
assembly men, hang me if they aint; and _they_ aint fit to tend a bear
trap, for they'd be sure to catch themselves, if they did, in their own
pit-fall.

"Did you hear that Irishman a latherin' away with bot