tem. Mr. Jones was for
mixing the old and the new, for laying in stock and advertising as
well, with a capital of 4,000_l_! What my opinion is of Mr. Jones I
will not now say, but of Mr. Brown I will never utter one word of
disparagement.

I have now expressed what few words I wish to say on my own bottom.
As to what has been done in the following pages by the young man who
has been employed to look over these memoirs and put them into shape,
it is not for me to speak. It may be that I think they might have
read more natural-like had no other cook had a finger in the pie. The
facts, however, are facts still. These have not been cooked.

Ladies and gentlemen, you who have so long distinguished our firm by
a liberal patronage, to you I now respectfully appeal, and in showing
to you a new article I beg to assure you with perfect confidence that
there is nothing equal to it at the price at present in the market.
The supply on hand is immense, but as a sale of unprecedented
rapidity is anticipated, may I respectfully solicit your early
orders? If not approved of the article shall be changed.

Ladies and gentlemen,
We have the honour to subscribe ourselves,
With every respect,
Your most obedient humble servants,
BROWN, JONES, AND ROBINSON,
PER GEORGE ROBINSON.

CHAPTER II.

THE EARLY HISTORY OF OUR MR. BROWN, WITH SOME FEW WORDS OF MR. JONES.

O Commerce, how wonderful are thy ways, how vast thy power, how
invisible thy dominion! Who can restrain thee and forbid thy further
progress? Kings are but as infants in thy hands, and emperors,
despotic in all else, are bound to obey thee! Thou civilizest, hast
civilized, and wilt civilize. Civilization is thy mission, and man's
welfare thine appointed charge. The nation that most warmly fosters
thee shall ever be the greatest in the earth; and without thee no
nation shall endure for a day. Thou art our Alpha and our Omega, our
beginning and our end; the marrow of our bones, the salt of our life,
the sap of our branches, the corner-stone of our temple, the rock of
our foundation. We are built on thee, and for thee, and with thee. To
worship thee should be man's chiefest care, to know thy hidden ways
his chosen study.

One maxim hast thou, O Commerce, great and true and profitable above
all others;--one law which thy votaries should never transgress. "Buy
in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest." May those divine
words be ever found engraved on the hearts of