ce. The boy would know why this poor, little one was clothed all in
black. His governess answered that it was, no doubt, because his papa
was dead. He manifested a strong desire to talk with the child.--Madame
Montesquieu, who seized every occasion of developing his sensibility,
consented, and gave an order that he should be brought in with his mother.
She was a widow whose husband had been killed in the last campaign, and
finding herself without resources, had petitioned the emperor for a
pension. The young Napoleon took the petition and promised to deliver it
to his papa. The next morning he made up his ordinary packet of petitions,
but the one in which he took a particular interest he kept separate, and
after putting the mass into the hands of the emperor according to custom;
"Papa," said he, "here is the petition of a very unfortunate little boy;
you are the cause of his father's dying, and now he has nothing. Give him
a pension, I beg." Napoleon took up his son and embraced him tenderly,
gave him the pension, which he antedated, and caused the patent to be made
out in the course of the day.--_Translated from the French.--Westminster
Review._

* * * * *

AN ESKDALE ANECDOTE.

_Extract of a Letter from the Ettrick Shepherd._

I chanced to be on a weeks' visit to a kind friend, a farmer in
Eskdale-muir, who thought meet to have a party every day at dinner, and
mostly the same party. Our libations were certainly carried rather to
an extremity, but our merriment corresponded therewith. There was one
morning, indeed, that several of the gentlemen were considerably hurt, and
there were marks of blood on the plaster, but no one could tell what had
happened. It appeared that there had been a quarrel, but none of us knew
what about, or who it was that fought.

But the most amusing part of the ploy (and a very amusing part it was)
regarded a half hogshead of ale, that was standing in the lobby to clear
for bottling. On the very first forenoon, our thirst was so excessive,
that the farmer contrived to insert a spigot into this huge cask, and
really such a treasure I think was hardly ever opened to a set of poor
thirsty spirits. Morning, noon, and night, we were running with jugs to
this rich fountain, and handing the delicious beverage about to lips that
glowed with fervour and delight. In a few days, however, it wore so low,
that before any would come, one was always obliged to hold it u