him as an oracle, that there might or might
not be some atrocious murders at the close of
the spring. The planets left the matter
doubtful, he said. " The dark cloud which I
named in 1841 as hanging over Turkey, is
now rapidly increasing in opacity, and must
shortly burst on its devoted head." The
prophets wage incessant war with Turkey;
nothing, however, comes of it. For the same
year—1843—Francis Moore predicted a
deficiency in the flood of the Nile, which did not
happen, and claimed (upon no better ground
than we have already examined) to have
predicted the disasters in India in his last
Almanack; at the same time, however, he did
not make good his case by predicting, or even
hinting at the important affairs in India
which were to follow, and belong to the
history of the year 1843:—the battles of
Meeanee & Hyderabad, the victory at
Maharajpoor.

For the year 1844 the prophet acutely
suggested that " Something seems to be
hatching in France,"—(a prediction rendered
very remarkable by the notorious fact that
Change so seldom hatches any thing in that
country) "—and Spain is far from tranquil."
Mr. Cobden being hard at work while he
wrote, and the important affairs of India and
China filling the papers, the prophet fetched
news from the stars for 1844, that " The
Corn Laws and Free Trade will be brought
upon the carpet; also our affairs in India,
China, and other remote regions, will be
the subjects of long speeches." What
follows must have also been valuable information
to the country, " Important news from
distant shores will frequently arrive." But
what news? The noisiest event of that year
was the French war with Morocco, a matter
one might think specially concerning a
Moore's Almanack, but there is not the
remotest hint of such an event.

For 1845 Francis Moore—still carrying on
liis private war with Turkey—said (and again
was wrong in saying) that " The final overthrow
of the Mahometan despot at Constantinople
may ere long be expected, when a
better form of Government will be established
in that empire." "Jupiter at the end of
spring " the Astrologer said—in 1845, be it
remembered—"passes over to the ascendant
of Ireland, and will benefit that country;
which, I hope, is on the eve of experiencing
better things." This was the astrologer's
prediction of the terrible potato famine!
For the winter quarter, which commenced on
the 21st of December, 1845, Francis Moore
—thoroughly assured by the stars—said, " It
is clear that there will not be much of
novelty as to matters of state, at least in this
country." In that quarter Sir Robert Peel
startled the world by his great change of
policy, dissolved his government, opposed the
Corn Laws and completed the great act of
statesmanship that made his name immortal.

The stars that misled Mr. Moore in these
matters were not likely to inform him on the
subject of the savage warfare in Algeria, the
Sikh war, the battle of Moodkee, or the
burning of two-thirds of Quebec. There is
no hint of these, the other prominent events
of that important year. Certainly, if the
stars have anything to foretell to men,

"That Moore's abused by some most villainous knave,
Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow;"

and he had better run no more risks. Or if
the stars be trustworthy, " the Moore
himself's at sea," and still we would advise him
to travel over less uncertain ground.

For the year 1846, Moore's Almanack did
little in the way of prophecy.

The year 1847 was marked, according to
the Annual Register, by the dreadful condition
of Ireland, great excitement in Italy, and
civil war in Switzerland. Moore, however,
who, when he is not belabouring Turkey,
generally gives Russia a thrashing, prophesied
nothing about Ireland, Italy, or Switzerland,
but said, " Something unpleasant is hatching
in Russia." He prophesied also, safely as he
thought, judging from the past, danger of war
with America "about a piece of land." Of
course, nothing of the kind happened. Judging
again by experience of the past, and again most
unluckily, the conjuror announced, for the
year 1847, that "Some momentous intelligence
arrives from India." India, however,
perverse stumbling-block to guess masters, again
disturbed Mr. Moore's credit. The affairs
of India for 1847 are characterised in the
Index to the Annual Register by these words,
"Profound tranquillity throughout the year."
Basing his calculation on a planetary Abracadabra,
Mr. Moore succeeded better, we have
no doubt, in warning some of the old maids
among his readers against the duplicity and
spite of maiden, friends who would ensnare
and devour them at their tea-parties. " Old
{unavailable characters} promises us good: let me advise
unwary virgins to be cautious, for there are
yet those of their own sex seeking to ensnare
them, and are indeed wolves in sheep's
clothing."

For the year 1848, the Almanack really
prophesied, so far as everybody foresaw at
the end of 1847, that " certain great changes
are likely to take place affecting some of the
crowned heads of Europe." These changes,
however, were to "bring about a congenial
state of things;" we don't think that the
Heavens—meaning the stars—themselves
know whether they may be considered to
have done so. For the same year it was said,
"There is some warlike feeling brewing in
France and Italy, but which will not, I trust,
be exhibited in any serious point of view."
So far were the stars from hinting to the
prophet the real truth, that he was led to
predict for October " Much bustle of a friendly
and benevolent natui'e." The true history
of 1848 is quite fresh in all memories.