dy and brave people; but
severe, inflexible, and not particularly delicate in their living, which
corresponds very well with their element. There is a seminary for this
class, where calves or sea-cadets are educated for sea-officers. Trees,
for their natural discretion and gravity, are usually appointed judges:
counsellors are geese; and the lawyers of the courts in ordinary are
magpies. Foxes are generally selected as ambassadors, consuls,
commercial-agents, and secretaries-of-legation. The ravens are chosen
for dealing-masters and executors on the effects of those deceased. The
buck-goats are philosophers, and especially grammarians, partly for the
sake of their horns, which they use on the slightest occasion, to gore
their opponents, and partly in consideration of their reverend beards,
which so notably distinguish them from all other creatures. The staid
yet energetic horse has the suffrage for the mayoralty and other civil
dignitaries. Estate owners and peasants are serpents, moles, rats and
mice. The ass, on account of his braying voice, is always the leader of
the church-choir. Treasurers, cashiers and inspectors are commonly
wolves; their clerks, being hawks. The (roosters) cocks are appointed
for watchmen, and the dogs house-porters.

The first who came on board of us, was a lean wolf or inspector, the
same as a custom-house-officer in Europe, followed by four hawks, his
clerks. These took from our wares what pleased them best, proving to us
thereby that they understood their business perfectly, and had all its
appropriate tricks at their fingers' ends. The captain took me ashore
with him. As soon as we had set foot on the quay, a cock came towards
us, demanded whence we were, the nature of our cargo, and announced us
to the inspector-general. This latter received us with much courtesy,
and invited us to dine with him. The mistress of the house, whom I had
heard to be one of the greatest beauties among the female wolves, was
not present at the table: the reason of this was, as we afterwards
learned, her husband's jealousy, who did not deem it advisable to allow
such a handsome wife to be seen by strangers. There were, however,
several ladies at table; among others, a certain commodore's wife, a
white cow with black spots: next to her sat a black cat, wife to the
master of hunt at court, newly arrived from the country. At my side was
placed a speckled sow, the lady of a renovation-inspector: that species
of offi