ome of our readers may remember a passage in Peter Pindar, where the
merciless satirist ridicules George the Third's German band, telling us
(in allusion to his Majesty's well-known penurious habits) that,
although they displaced native talent and expected "to feast upon the
Coldstream regiments fat," their experience was altogether of another
character:--

"But ah, their knives no veal nor mutton carved!
To feasts they went indeed, but went and starved!"

The services of these foreign musical mercenaries had been retained by
George the Fourth, but one of the very earliest acts of his successor
was to dismiss them in favour of the guards' bands, "who," however, if
we are to believe Mr. Greville, had no great reason to be thankful, but
were on the contrary "ready to die of it," as they had to play every
night without pay, and were moreover "prevented" from earning money
elsewhere. This act of the new king is referred to in a sketch by
Seymour, which shows us his Majesty in the act of "discharging the
German band," who may be seen marching off headed by their ancient and
crestfallen drum-major.

ST. JOHN LONG.

The month of October, 1830, witnessed the trial of the notorious
impostor, John St. John Long (whose real name was O'Driscoll) for the
manslaughter of Miss Cushin. The success of this ignorant and notorious
quack, who managed for a series of years to extract a magnificent income
of some L10,000 or L12,000 per annum by trading on the credulity of his
fellow-creatures, forms a curious commentary on the weakness of
contemporary "society." It is said that he commenced life as a
house-painter, and afterwards acquired some slight knowledge of art in
the humble capacity of colour grinder to Sir Thomas Lawrence, and while
colouring (on his own account) some anatomical drawings for a medical
London school, picked up a slight and imperfect knowledge of anatomy.
This stimulated him to further superficial research; and after a few
months' probation, his confidence enabled him to pretend that he
possessed a cure for every disease under the sun--more especially
consumption.[99]

The origin and pretensions of this learned practitioner are thus
referred to in one of the rhymes of the day:--

"You may talk of your Celsus, Machaons, and Galens,
Physicians who cured all incurable ailings,
But ne'er yet was doctor applauded in song
Like that erudite Phoenix, the great Doctor Long.

Such astonishing cur