eeded for Canton. We beg to propose the EARL
OR ABERDEEN. Such a selection would be a great compliment to the
Chinese,--the noble Earl being very like a tea-chest; namely, varnish
without, and lead within.

* * * * *

MODEL RAILWAY MEETING.

[Illustration: S]

Saturday last a General Annual Special Quarterly Meeting of the London
and South-Northern Railway Company was held at the Company's Offices.
The meeting had been convened to hear a report on the propriety of
amalgamating the undertaking with that of the Great East And By Eastern
Railway, for which junction, negotiations have been for some time in
progress. The HON. ROLLING STOCK, M.P., Chairman of the former Company,
presided. The room was crowded with shareholders, and eleven fights took
place before business was commenced.

The CHAIRMAN briefly explained the object of the meeting, and reminded
those before him that they were men of business come to discuss a
question of business, and he expressed a hope that nothing but business
would be talked, as the riotous displays which had now become common on
such occasions were not only degrading in themselves, but tended to
shake the public confidence in a body which could so conduct itself.
(_Applause, and an old hat flung at the Chairman._)

The SECRETARY then rose to read the report, but not one word was
audible, shouts of "_We know!_" "_Shut up!_" "_All humbug!_" "_Gammon
and spinach!_" drowning his voice. He persevered in dumb show, however,
until a volley of baked taturs, nearly all hot, supplied by a vendor who
had been smuggled into the room by a shareholder, made him not only
desist, but come round with an offer to fight the parties who were thus
emphatically protesting.

MR. BUFFER then moved that the report be adopted. (_Hideous yells._)
Well, if it were objected to, let the reasons be advanced, and don't let
fellows stand there, he added, with some irritation, howling like fools.
(_Renewed yelling._)

MR. DE GRADIENT seconded the motion, and would also be happy to be the
previous speaker's second, if necessary.

MR. SHUNT said that the Chairman was a Nass, the directors were umbugs,
and he had no term of decision--he meant derision--strong enough for the
secretary, engineer, and superintendent of the traffic. The whole lot
were revolutionary aristocratic donothings and sneaks. (_Cries of
"That's about it!_" "_Put that in your minutes!_")

The CHAIRMAN said that in