with narrow vertical stripes of bright gold at
intervals of a third of an inch. These stripes are
nearly straight, though some few of them bend
a little, and two of them, about an inch and a
half from the head, are united below by a crossbar
of the same colour.

The commander of Tilbury Fort could not
see the Spanish fleet because it was not in sight,
and the circumstances which influenced the
visual powers of so illustrious a person may well
be allowed equal potency over those of
ordinary mortals. I cannot tell what our
naturalist has to say about eels, their ways and
habits, their manners and customs, their lungs
and spiracles, &c., because I cannot yet see the
numbers of his great work which ought to
contain all this. I look across the library-table for
them, and behold a blank.

DREAMING SHARP.

WHEN people in Ireland have dreams of great
significance they are said to "dream sharp," and
I had a dream the other night that had much
meaning in it, mixed up with a great deal of
whimsicality. I thought I was present at the
performance, not of a pantomime exactly, but
of a sort of extravaganza equally grotesque as
any pantomime I ever witnessed. It was
entitled "The Metamorphoses of Mammon, with
Wonderful Changes and Startling Effects," as set
forth in letters of gold on a slip of white satin,
for playbill,—all being magnificent in my
dream, scenery, dresses, everything. I cannot
remember a consecutive plot exactly, there being
much of that disjointed wildness in my vision
so characteristic of phantasma, but the main
upshot of the piece was all about the attractions
and temptations of money, and the plots of
villains to obtain it. There was a quantity of
allegory, as might be expected: one of the
grandest scenes was the Temple of Mammon,
and a leading character was the hierophant of
the temple, ycleped Ghulthephools. The King
of the Inexhaustible Gold Mines, called
Rhaubalyucan, held a foremost place also. The King
publishes a sort of manifesto or proclamation,
setting forth how Mammon rejoices in observing
his votaries acquiring money, that for this
purpose there is nothing tends so much to that
desirable end as making offerings of gold in his
temple. Mammon, moreover, delighted with
this act of his worshippers, and the mere sight of
the gold laid on his altar, for a short time, not
only is undesirous of holding this money
permanently, but permits his votaries to withdraw
their lodgments in his temple whenever they
like, according to their necessities or their
pleasure. To encourage them, however, in the
practice of votive investments of a more enduring
kind, Mammon promises an increase of wealth
to such as leave their treasure longer in his
care, proportionably with the various value of
the deposits, and this act of grace on his part is
called a "per centum" while, from time to time,
Ghulthephools cries out in an imposing tone,
"Bonus! Bonus!" being given to Latin phrases,
though his Latin would not bear a strict
translation in plain English, for there was very
little good in his bonus, as will be seen in the
sequel.

But this politic move on the part of
Rhaubalyucan, increases, as might be supposed, the
votive tendencies of his subjects, and a special
scene of great bustle occurs in the rush of crowds
to the temple, who pass immense quantities of
treasure over the altars of the "Fane of the
Golden God" into the hands of his inferior
ministers, for deposition in the "TREASURE
VAULT OF THE TEMPLE," a scene of great
magnificence: quite a triumph of the unrivalled
pencil of Mr. H. Cleverly.

Amongst the ministers of the temple are "the
Lords Directors," rather queer characters too.
One might expect magnificent dresses upon the
persons of Lords Directors: but no; they wore
white aprons and white nightcaps—in fact,
appeared nothing more nor less than cooks.
They, wishing to pleasure Rhaubalyucan by
the gratification of his inordinate appetite, cook
away for him gaily, but after a manner unknown
to Ude, Soyer, or Francatelli; and so far from
hinting that he is ravenous, they suggest that
his appetite wants stimulating, and recommend
him to seek a bracing air, and as this can best
be obtained by yachting, they procure for him a
vessel appropriately called a "craft," somewhat
strained in her timbers, for she had been engaged
before in the Levant trade, and was
distinguished among the knowing ones by the name
of "The Three Decks and no Bottom." That
title they change, however, to the more promising
one of "The Floating Capital," but all they
can do will not get her rated at Lloyd's as class
A, No. 1. Nevertheless, she is considered
quite fit for a start except as regards her
rigging, so a gang of riggers is engaged, and to
work they go with a will, pulling away like
"good 'uns," and Rhaubalyucan, Ghulthephools,
and the riggers, soon set sail for the Gulf of
Jugglum. On the shores of this gulf there
appears to be a market—a fish-market—much
after the manner of the celebrated market-scene
in Masaniello. There is a chorus, too, as in
Masaniello, the chorus being that of the riggers,
who arrive in the nick of time at the market,
and deal for flat fish and gudgeons extensively.
Word for word, and note for note, the famous
passage in the Masaniello chorus is copied in
that of the riggers:

        Take heed, whisper low!

After which thunders forth the well-known
joyous outbreak,

        The prize we seek we'll soon ensnare,

and the scene closes with a Pas de Gréeurs, or
dance of riggers, a tremendous Rigadoon, "by
the whole strength of the company."

Now, while the King and his worthy ministers
are cruising about, the guardianship of the
treasure vault of the temple is entrusted to the King's
eldest son, Prince Khofferghutter, a name not
very suggestive of fitness for his office; and