hich was now close alongside, "Ah! Morgan Jones, is that you?" "We are
quite full."--"Then take care of this packet; as for myself never mind,
but take care of the packet." The packet was carefully handed aboard, the
eyes of Morgan Jones saw the patriarch receive it into his own hands, when
the huge ark gave a most terrific lurch, and hitting poor Morgan, he sunk
under her counter, was thumped by the keel, and was seen no more; but the
packet was received, and proved to be his pedigree from Adam!

W. PULLEN.

* * * * *

LUDICROUS BLUNDERS.

(_From "After Dinner Chat," in the New Monthly Magazine._)

_H._--How completely a fine poetical thought may be destroyed by the
alteration of a single word! I recollect a ludicrous instance of this. I
was quoting to M--d--y, who is rather deaf, a line of Campbell's, as
being, in my opinion, equal to any that ever was produced:

"And Freedom shriek'd--as Kosciusko fell."

"I dare say you are right," replied M--d--y; "but it does not quite please
me: I must think of it." And he repeated--

"And Freedom _squeak'd_--as Kosciusko fell."

_F._--L--ml--y, of the --th Dragoons, was, as you may remember, a
great admirer of the "Hohenlinden" of the same poet, and used frequently
to recite it; but instead of

"Wave, Munich! all thy banners wave!
And charge with all thy _chivalry_,"--

fancying, no doubt, that the poet, from ignorance of military terms, had
committed a blunder, he used invariably to say--

"And charge with all thy _cavalry_."

_K._--I once heard two whimsical blunders made in the course of a
performance of Macbeth, at a poor little country theatre. The Lady
Macbeth--who, not unlikely, had been a laundress--instead of saying merely

"A little water clears us of this deed,"

chose to "make assurance double sure," and said--"A little soap and
water." And, presently after, for

"We have scotch'd the snake, not killed it,"

the Thane, looking with an air of profound mystery at his tender mate,
whispered her,

"We have _cotch_ a snake, and _killed_ it."

* * * * *

PARLIAMENT OF BATTS.

Gurdon, in his _History of Parliament_, says--"This parliament was
summoned in the reign of Henry the Sixth, to meet at Leicester; and orders
were sent to the members that they should not wear swords; so they came to
parliament (like modern butchers) with long staves, from whence the
parlia