ON.

The house had not long adjourned before Captain Poke and myself were
favored with a visit from our colleague Mr. Downright, who came on an
affair of absorbing interest. He carried in his hand a small pamphlet;
and the usual salutations were scarcely over, before he directed our
attention to a portion of its contents. It would seem that Leaplow was
on the eve of experiencing a great moral eclipse. The periods and dates
of the phenomenon (if that can be called a phenomenon which was of too
frequent occurrence) had been calculated, with surprising accuracy, by
the Academy of Leaphigh, and sent, through its minister, as an especial
favor, to our beloved country in order that we should not be taken by
surprise. The account of the affair read as follows:--

"On the third day of the season of nuts, there will be the commencement
of a great moral eclipse, in that portion of the monikin region which
lies immediately about the pole. The property in eclipse will be the
great moral postulate usually designated by the term Principle; and the
intervening body will be the great immoral postulate, usually known
as Interest. The frequent occurrence of the conjunction of these two
important postulates has caused our moral mathematicians to be rather
negligent of their calculations on this subject of late years; but, to
atone for this inexcusable indifference to one of the most important
concerns of life, the calculating committee was instructed to pay
unusual attention to all the obscurations of the present year, and this
phenomenon, one of the most decided of our age, has been calculated with
the utmost nicety and care. We give the results.

"The eclipse will commence by a motive of monikin vanity coming in
contact with the sub-postulate of charity, at 1 A. M. The postulate in
question will be totally hid from view, in the course of 6 h. 17 m.
from the moment of contact. The passage of a political intrigue will
instantly follow, when the several sub-postulates of truth, honesty,
disinterestedness, and patriotism, will all be obscured in succession,
beginning with the lower limb of the first, and ending with all the
limbs of the whole of them, in 3 h. 42 m. from the moment of contact.
The shadow of vanity and political intrigue will first be deepened
by the approach of prosperity, and this will be soon succeeded by the
contact of a great pecuniary interest, at 10 h. 2 m. 1s.; and in exactly
2 m. and 3-7 s., the whole of the grea