shes, with the fruit hanging from the branches like earrings
on the neck of a lady of fashion. How happy, thought we both--both Peter
Farrel and me--how happy might they be who, without worldly pride or
ambition, passed their days in such situations, in the society of their
wives and children. Ah! such were a blissful lot!

During our ride, Peter Farrel and I had an immense deal of rational
conversation on a variety of matters, Peter having seen great part of the
world in his youth, from having made two voyages to Greenland, during one
of which he was very nearly frozen up--with his uncle, who was the mate
of a whale-vessel. To relate all that Peter told me he had seen and
witnessed in his far-away travels, among the white bears, and the frozen
seas, would take up a great deal of the reader's time, and of my paper;
but as to its being very diverting, there is no doubt of that. However,
when Peter came to the years of discretion, Peter had sense enough in his
noddle to discover, that "a rowing stane gathers no fog;" and, having got
an inkling of the penny-pie manufacture when he was a wee smout, he yoked
to the baking trade tooth and nail; and, in the course of years, thumped
butter-bakes with his elbows to some purpose; so that, at the time of our
colleaguing together, Peter was well to do in the world--had bought his
own bounds, and built new ones--could lay down the blunt for his article,
and take the measure of the markets, by laying up wheat in his granaries
against the day of trouble--to wit--rise of prices.

"Well, Peter," said I to him, "seeing that ye read the newspapers, and
have a notion of things, what think ye, just at the present moment, of
affairs in general?"

Peter cocked up his lugs at this appeal, and, looking as wise as if he
had been Solomon's nephew, gave a knowing smirk, and said--

"Is it foreign or domestic affairs that you are after, Maister Wauch? for
the question is a six-quarters wide one."

I was determined not to be beat by man of woman born; so I answered with
almost as much cleverality as himself, "Oh, Mr Farrel, as to our foreign
concerns, I trust I am ower loyal a subject of George the Third to have
any doubt at all about them, as the Buonaparte is yet to be born that
will ever beat our regulars abroad--to say nothing of our volunteers at
home; but what think you of the paper specie--the national debt--borough
reform--the poor-rates--and the Catholic question?"

I do not think