the night, a soft-breathing breast, in which
there is nothing but paradise, a sermon, and a midnight prayer!'

Here is a specimen of 'the show-man's trick,' which, as old MATTHEWS used
to say, 'made a great laugh at the time:'

'It is diverting in the extreme to observe the pompous
grandiloquence in the advertisements of the amusement-furnishing
public, about Christmas and New-Year. Sublimity glares from the
theatrical hand-bill, and the menagerie _affiche_. Curiosities,
then, have a 'most magnanimous value.' I remember, not long ago,
that I desired a lovely lady, a French countess, to accompany me
to a Zoological Institute, to behold _an American Eagle_. I was
pleased at the expressed wish which led me to make the invitation,
and proud of the prospect of showing a living emblem of our
country's insignia to one who felt an interest in the subject. The
bills of the institute set forth, that 'the grand Columbia's Eagle
was the monarch of its tribe, measuring an unprecedented length
from the tip of one wing to the other, in full plumage and vigor.'
The countess had never seen but one eagle, in the _Jardin des
Plantes_ at Paris, and that was a small one, and ungrown; so that
her anticipations of novelty were as great as mine. We went, and
with interesting expectancy, asked of the president of the
institute, who was engaged in the noble pursuit of feeding a sick
baboon with little slips of cold pork, to discover to us
'Columbia's eagle.' He marshalled us to the other end of the
institute, past the cages of lions, bears, libbards, and other
animals--among which was a singular _quadruped_, with six legs--to
the cage of the eagle. 'There,' he exclaimed, with professional
monotony, 'there _is_ the proud bird _of_ our country, that _was_
caught _in_ the West, and _has_ been thought to have killed many
animals _in_ his life-time. He _was_ five hours and twenty-three
minutes _in_ being put into the cage, _so_ strong _was_ his wings.
Look at him _clus_. He'll bear inspection. Jist obsarve the keen
_irish_ of his eye.'

'An involuntary and hearty laugh from us both, followed the sight,
and the announcement. It was a dismal looking bird, about the size
of a goodly owl, with a crest-fallen aspect, the feathers of the
tail and wings dwindled to a few ragged quills; and the shivering
fowl, standi