the disembodied
Militia are heavier than one would expect on the supposition that the
Militia, disembodied, consists of the ghosts of Militiamen.

* * * * *

THE AFFAIRS OF TURKEY.--The SULTAN may "lead a life of jollity:" but his
Minister for Foreign Affairs is REDSCHID.

* * * * *

BRICKS.

The natural history of Bricks is interesting.

We are enabled to trace it without difficulty from very ancient periods,
both with reference to its different structures, and with reference to
building purposes.

It is pleasing to observe how the bitumen was first used, how it was
moulded into form, and baked into hardness, by the heat of the Persian
sun. We can trace it through many of its forms until we come to the
great Roman Brick of nine inches long, three inches broad, and three
inches thick. We now discover, with the satisfaction and pleasure of the
antiquarian, how long these Bricks have endured; but, for many years, we
were not aware of any application of the Brick, other than that of
strength, stability, and support of edifices--edifices which, sometimes,
might really raise the question: "To what extent the architect for
_Time_ meant to contend with _Eternity?_"

We think we are indebted to our Cambridge friends--it may be to our
Harrow friends, we cannot tell--for the first moral or ethical
application of the word Brick.

How common it has been of late years to say to a man, whose virtuous
tendencies are of the first order, "My dear fellow, you are a Brick." It
becomes, however, more emphatic in the usage of the third person. "Do
you know MR. SO-AND-SO? Is he really a man I can trust? Is he a good
fellow?" The answer in one word is, "He's a Brick." The answer is
satisfactory, in all senses, to the propounder of the question--indeed,
a more satisfactory reply cannot be uttered.

We have heard this kind of expression called _slang_--it really is not
so. Gentlemen, take up your _Plutarch_, turn to the Life of AGESILAUS,
and what do you read? You'll find, if you understand Greek--and if you
don't, set about learning it immediately, for the purposes of history,
as well as poetry and elevation of thought--that when the Ambassador
from Epirus went to AGESILAUS, to have a diplomatic chit-chat with him,
he said to him: "Where on earth are the walls of Sparta? In other States
of Greece the principal towns have walls--but where are yours, dear
AGESILAUS?" The