d he been allowed to
live on till he should have parted with the remainder of his teeth, at
the rate of one a year, he would have attempted, when it came to the
last, to smuggle a false tooth or two into his jaws.

_R_.--I think I understand the gist of your complaint: the longer you
allow folks to live, the more they won't die. Fie upon them!

_S_.--I shudder at the contemplation of the consequences of Parr's
abominable example. Well had it been for posterity if some one had
killed the cent-sexagenarian at the outset of his wicked career.

_K_.--Horrible! that would have been _Parr_-icide!

* * * * *

DUELLING.

_N_.--Apropos of duelling. I hear that General F--rn--r is dead. He
was the most celebrated, or, I ought to say, the most notorious
duellist in France--at a time, too, when duelling was most the rage.
He had been a great favourite of Napoleon's. Having the command of a
regiment, upon--I forget what occasion--he led it with such
extraordinary bravery to the attack, yet, at the same time, conducted
its movements with so total a want of skill and discretion, that,
without attaining any good result, his men were nearly all cut to
pieces, and he himself narrowly escaped with his life. As a reward for
his gallantry, his Imperial master promoted him to the rank of
general; but, to mark his sense of F--rn--r's total want of "the
better part of valour," he never after entrusted him with a command.
So fatal was his skill in duelling, that, when I knew him in Paris, he
was under an interdiction of the police ever to fight again. The terms
of one of the duels in which he had been engaged were, that the
parties should fire at eight paces, and that they should alternately
advance two paces till the fire of one or both of them should take
deadly effect. According to this arrangement, the last advance brought
the muzzle of his pistol close to his adversary's breast--he had twice
already wounded him slightly, and received one shot himself--he fired,
and his adversary fell dead at his feet! This piece of butchery--for
as such it must be stigmatized--having been perpetrated under sanction
of the articles of the meeting, passed over without receiving any
severe notice. No wonder he was an unhappy man. I met him one day at
dinner. On that occasion he was boisterous in his mirth, without
appearing to be gay.--Suddenly he rose and left the room. Half an hour
afterwards we found him in a small _bo