ccurate of our daily journals, as representing the
total answer of the opposite side in the debate? No! be assured you
can do nothing yet at Westminster. You must have your own parliament,
and if you cannot detect enough honesty among you to constitute a
justly minded one, for the present matters must take their course, and
that will be, yet awhile, to the worse.

17. I meant to have continued this subject, but I see two other
statements in the 'Pall Mall Gazette' of to-day, with which, and a
single remark upon them, I think it will be well to close my present
letter.

(1) "The total sum asked for in the army estimates, published this
morning, is 14,752,200_l._, being an increase of 412,000_l._ over the
previous year."

(2) "Yesterday the annual account of the navy receipts and expenditure
for the year ending 31st March, 1866, was issued from the Admiralty.
The expenditure was 10,268,115_l._ 7_s._"

Omitting the seven shillings, and even the odd hundred-thousands of
pounds, the net annual expenditure for army and navy appears to be
twenty-four millions.

The "grant in science and art," two-thirds of which was not in reality
for either, but for amusement and shop interests in the Paris
Exhibition--the grant which the House of Commons feels to be
indicative of general danger to the national pockets--is, as above
stated, 164,000_l._ Now, I believe the three additional ciphers which
turn thousands into millions produce on the intelligent English mind
usually the effect of--three ciphers. But calculate the proportion of
these two sums, and then imagine to yourself the beautiful state of
rationality of any private gentleman, who, having regretfully spent
164_l._ on pictures for his walls, paid willingly 24,000_l._ annually
to the policeman who looked after his shutters! You practical
English!--will you ever unbar the shutters of your brains, and hang
a picture or two in those state-chambers?

LETTER V.

THE CORRUPTION OF MODERN PLEASURE.--(COVENT GARDEN PANTOMIME.)

_February 25, 1867._

18. There is this great advantage in the writing real letters, that
the direct correspondence is a sufficient reason for saying, in or out
of order, everything that the chances of the day bring into one's
head, in connection with the matter in hand; and as such things very
usually go out of one's head again, after they get tired of their
lodging, they would otherwise never ge