h objection from an iron mouth--that the GRAND DUKE
should turn the lady from her free home to an Italian dungeon. Let the
DUKE pray as much as he will; but only pray--not _prey_.

* * * * *

RUSSIAN "MOUCHES" IN EDINBURGH.

The daily papers tell us that--

"The clouds of small black flies which were observed in many places
of the island about a fortnight or three weeks ago, again presented
themselves on Wednesday morning in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh."

These black flies have--we understand upon good authority--preceded MR.
ELIHU BURRITT from Russia: and are, indeed, only another evidence of the
magical influence of the harmonious blacksmith. These black flies
were--only two months ago--wasps, Russian wasps, encountered by ELIHU in
the environs of St. Petersburg. He was on horseback, when his horse's
foot sinking into a wasp's nest, brought a cloud of the destructive
insects about the head of the traveller. Every wasp had his sting out
when--MR. BURRITT delivered himself of one of those marvellous orations
which it had been his mission to deliver to the CZAR'S bondmen. In
twenty minutes, the eloquent peacemaker had talked every armed wasp into
a harmless small black fly. Thus, can there be any doubt that the peace
orators of the North will, in like manner, talk the Russian army out of
its bayonets?

* * * * *

READY WIT.

The _Morning Herald_ says of MR. GLADSTONE'S Inverness speeches,

"The nail-blue-cholera-collapsed condition of his speeches!"

Is not this ready wit? Wit at the fingers' ends?

* * * * *

[Illustration: THE MOUSTACHE MOVEMENT

_Augustus._ "ARE YOU FOND OF MOUSTACHERS, EMILY?"

_Emily._ "YES! I THINK THEY LOOK VERY WELL UPON SOME PEOPLE."

_Augustus._ "AH! THEN THAT SETTLES THE POINT. I _SHALL LET MINE GROW_."]

* * * * *

MEETING OF THE RABBITS.

Last week was held a meeting of certain rabbits in a box in the
Zoological Gardens. The meeting, it must be confessed, was not very
numerous, but extremely respectable.

MR. DOUBLESMUT took the chair, and briefly opened the proceedings. He
said that they would improve the happy accident of their meeting into an
enduring advantage. He thought that the time had arrived for the whole
nation of rabbits to raise themselves in the scale of creation; by
cultivating a deeper trust and wider confidence