orward to meet us.

Humbert dismounted, and removing his chapeau, saluted the dignitary with
a most finished courtesy. I could see, too, by his gesture, that he
presented General Serazin, the second in command; and, in fact, all his
motions were those of a well-bred guest at the moment of being received
by his host. Nor was the bishop, on his side, wanting either in ease or
dignity; his manner, not without the appearance of deep sorrow, was yet
that of a polished gentleman doing the honors of his house to a number
of strangers.

As I drew nearer I could hear that the bishop spoke French fluently, but
with a strong foreign accent. This facility, however, enabled him to
converse with ease on every subject, and to hold intercourse directly
with our general, a matter of no small moment to either party. It is
probable that the other clergy did not possess this gift, for assuredly
their manner toward us, inferiors of the staff, was neither gracious nor
conciliating, and as for myself, the few efforts I made to express, in
English, my admiration for the coast scenery, or the picturesque beauty
of the neighborhood, were met in any rather than a spirit of politeness.

The generals accompanied the bishop into the castle, leaving myself and
three or four others on the outside. Colonel Charost soon made his
appearance, and a guard was stationed at the entrance gate, with a
strong picket in the garden. Two sentries were placed at the hall-door,
and the words "Quartier General" written up over the portico. A small
garden pavilion was appropriated to the colonel's use, and made the
office of the adjutant-general, and in less than half an hour after our
arrival eight sous-officiers were hard at work, under the trees, writing
away at billets, contribution orders, and forage rations; while I, from
my supposed fluency in English, was engaged in carrying messages to and
from the staff to the various shopkeepers and tradesmen of the town,
numbers of whom now flocked around us with expressions of welcome and
rejoicing. (_To be continued_.)

[From Dickens's Household Words.]

A LUNATIC ASYLUM IN PALERMO.

Several years ago Count Pisani, a Sicilian nobleman, while on a tour
through Europe, directed his attention to the condition of the
receptacles for lunatics in some of the principal continental cities.
Deeply impressed by the injudicious and often cruel treatment to which
the unhappy inmates of those establishments were subject