aying that time is money, or money's worth, has more truth
in it than most of the fallacies which are supposed to
regulate our conduct. The most important events of our lives
often hinge on moments. A moment to stifle passion, to
summon reflection, to plunge into the past and bring up a
buried memory, to consider results, is often of the utmost
consequence, and this valued moment the pinch of snuff
insures, when, without it, delay would be simply
embarrassment. The pinch of snuff, taken at the right
instant, secures an important reprieve, during which the
unpleasant question may be evaded, the hasty reply
reconsidered, or an angry _repartee_ thought better of,
while the same time gained serves to improve the
diplomatist's _equivoque_, to point the orator's satire, and
polish the wit's _mot_. In a word, its use on important
occasions affords, to every one who needs them, better means
of acting upon Talleyrand's mischievous yet clever
aphorism--that language is useful rather to conceal than to
express our thoughts. Moreover, the action necessary in
conveying the tempting graces to their destination has not
unfrequently been found useful. It employs the hasty hand
that may itch to take illegal vengeance for fancied insults;
it serves to hide the angry twitching mouth and passionately
expanding nostrils, to give a natural expression to changes
of the countenance which would otherwise indicate emotion,
and to parry attention till reason has been summoned to
supplant passion.

"It is denied (in a rather irritating way sometimes) that
the subject of our article has any beneficial influence upon
the intellects of its patrons. We are not about to claim for
it any such exalted qualities, but we may be allowed to
mention a fact or so which entitles it to some respect
medicinally. As we have before stated, in its early days it
was considered to possess powerful healing qualities, and
even now is found of use in cases of headache and weak
sight. It was also supposed valuable in cases of heaviness
and obtuseness of intellect. Is it, therefore unreasonable
to presume that it may have had some share in gaining for
our brethren beyond the Tweed that shrewdness of national
character which has become proverbial?

[Illustration: Curing a heada