f his "Old Governor" hunting his hounds twice a week, while, at the
same moment, the real individual was engaged in the manufacture of
soap and short sixes. What happiness to recommend the game-pie, when
the grouse was sent by his Uncle, while he felt that the only
individual who stood in that capacity respecting him, had three gilt
balls over his door, and was more conversant with duplicates than
double barrels.

But why pursue a theme whose benefits are self-evident, and come home
to every bosom in the vast community. It is one of "the wants of our
age," and we hope ere long to see the "fathers" as much respected in
Clerkenwell or College-street, as ever they were in Clongowes or
Maynooth.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

A NUT FOR "POLITICAL ECONOMISTS."

This is the age of political economists and their nostrums. Every
newspaper teems with projects for the amelioration of our working
classes, and the land is full of farming societies, temperance unions,
and a hundred other Peter Purcellisms, to improve its social
condition; the charge to make us

"Great, glorious, and free,"

remaining with that estimable and irreproachable individual who
tumbles in Lower Abbey-street.

The Frenchman's horse would, it is said, have inevitably finished his
education, and accomplished the faculty of existing without food, had
he only survived another twenty-four hours. Now, the condition of
Ireland is not very dissimilar, and I only hope that we may have
sufficient tenacity of life to outlive the numerous schemes for our
prosperity and advancement.

Nothing, indeed, can be more singular than the manner of every
endeavour to benefit his country. We are poor--every man of us is only
struggling; therefore, we are recommended to build expensive
poorhouses, and fill them with some of ourselves. We have scarcely
wherewithal to meet the ordinary demands of life, and straightway are
told to subscribe to various new societies--repeal funds--agricultural
clubs--O'Connell tributes--and Mathew testimonials. This, to any
short-sighted person, might appear a very novel mode of filling our
own pockets. There are one-idea'd people in the world, who can only
take up the impression which, at first blush, any subject suggests;
they, I say, might fancy that a continued system of donation,
unattended by anything like receipt, is not exactly the surest element
of individual prosperity. I hope to be able to controvert this
plausibl