acter,
situation, and incident, you shall hear it."

"Dear Dick--I told you that I was about to have the honour of being
introduced to tin; celebrated Dr. Kitchen. 'He was a man, take him for
all in all, I ne'er shall look upon his like again.' It was evidently
one of 'Nature's worst journeymen' that made him; for he has not a limb
which appears to appertain to his body; they look precisely as if they
were purchased at an auction. This little man, who seems born to be
'girded at' by jokers of all classes, sharing the prevalent rage for
notoriety, has written two works, one in the character of a _gourmand_,
and the other of a musician. But not content with the fame he has thus
acquired, he has persuaded himself that he is an excellent singer. Nay,
it was given out lately, by his own concurrence, that he intended to
sing at a concert at the Argyle Rooms; and although he has no more voice
than a ~~424~~~ cat, he was under the full impression that his Majesty,
at the conclusion of the last court-day, intended to call upon him for
a song. The Doctor asked me and Caustic to one of his literary dinners;
and as T have supplied you with a sketch of a cook-shop _gourmand_, I
make no apology for shewing up a more elevated class of _gastronomes_,
by reporting the Doctor's speech on this occasion.--

"'On entering the world, the acuteness of my palate and vigour of
digestion disposed me to conceive that I should excel in the fraternal
sciences of eating and drinking; and I entertained no doubt but my vapid
organs would be considerably improved by frequent exercise. Taste
has various departments--painting, architecture, sculpture, &c.; but
impressed with the conviction that my only office in this world was to
invent new dishes and devour them, I collected all the culinary writers
from Caxton to Mons. Ude, of modern celebrity. As science proceeds by
gradual advances, I frequented the better sort of coffee-houses, to
initiate myself in the correct nomenclature of different dishes, and
to judge of their skilful preparation. These, to be sure, are proper
schools for a beginner; but I soon discovered that these victuallers,
on account of their numerous visitants, who are disposed to eat much and
pay little, could not afford to furnish the most costly and exquisite
_entrees_. Sometimes I found that the same turkey had been twice
subjected to the spit; a sole that had been broiled the day before,
underwent the operation of frying on the fo