description which she had made to a worthy
young ivory turner whose name was not Joe.
All of which we heard with a growing curiosity
to know who Joe was: more especially
as Mrs. Joe was in a state of great excitement
and joy about Joe.

The explanation of this little family history
was, that out of a separate fund established in
connection with the Hospital, Joe, an old
foundling—although he had left the hospital
when very young to volunteer as a cabin boy
in Lord Nelson's fleet—had, in common with
some other of his school-fellows, been assisted
through life with temporary loans of money,
the latest of which loans had enabled Joe to
seek another fortune (Joe, in the course of his
career, had found and lost many fortunes) in
Australia. This put us in an excellent humour
for participating in the joy that there was
over Joe. And we devoutly wished, and do
wish, that Joe may find gold enough to
provide for himself, Mrs. Joe, their son, their
two daughters, and the ivory turner; and
that with love and gold to spare for the
gentle memory of Captain Thomas Coram, he
may have this line to himself among the
donors on the wall of the boys' dining-room

              JOE     .     .     .     £500

Such is the home of the blank children,
where they are trained out of their blank state
to be useful entities in life. It is rich, and it is
likely enough that it has its blemishes. It
certainly had once, when its chief officer was
a Master in Chancery; which animal is a
sufficiently absurd monster for human reason to
reflect upon, without being associated with
blank children and a by no means blank
salary. But from what we have seen of this
establishment we have derived much
satisfaction, and the good that is in it seems to us
to have grown with its growth. Of the
appearance, food, and lodging of the children
any of our readers may judge for themselves
after morning service any Sunday; when we
think their objections will be limited to the
respectable functionary who presides over the
boys' dinner, presenting such a very inflexible
figure-head to so many young digestions, and
smiting the table with his hammer with such
prodigious emphasis: wherein it rather
resembles the knock of the marble statue
at Don Juan's door, than the call of a human
schoolmaster to grace after meat.

We happen to have had our personal means
of knowing that in one respect the Governors
of this charity are a model to all others.
That is, in holding themselves strictly aloof
from any canvassing for an office connected
with it, or a benefit derivable from it.
Canvassing and electioneering are the disgrace of
many public charities of this time; and, in all
such cases, but particularly where the candidates
are persons of education who have known
a happier and better estate, we view the
preliminary solicitation and humiliation as far
outweighing the subsequent advantages, and
believe that there is something very rotten in
the state of any Denmark that does not apply
itself to find a better system for its
government.

        AN INUNDATION IN BENGAL.

IN August 1845 I had occasion to visit
Tirhoot; and, as time was an object, I determined
on going by land, instead of taking the
steamer from Calcutta.

The reader is aware that in India we travel
in a palankeen, which is carried on men's
shoulders. In the dry season you are borne
along the road, merrily enough, at the rate
of four miles an hour; but in the rains, that
is to say, in July, August, and September,
the country is partially covered with water,
and the road, in many places, is lost sight of
for several miles together. Even in the rainy
season it is dangerous to travel during the
day; for the sun, though obscured by clouds,
has very great power, and the heat, after nine
or ten o'clock, becomes intense; often
suffocating.

Picture to yourself a man shut up in a
black box, seven feet long by three wide, and
jolted forwards, feet first, by human beings
almost naked. On a dark night a native
runs on, a few paces in advance, with a
huge torch in his hand to show the bearers
of the palankeen the way; and, being up
to their knees in water, they cry aloud to
each other at every step, "Khubendar! khubendar!"
which means, "Take care! Take care!"
Sometimes you come to a nullah, or deep
ditch, in which the water is eight, nine, or ten
feet deep. Here it becomes necessary to
procure a number of earthen vessels at the
nearest village. These are tied together; and
the palankeen, in which the passenger is
seated, is placed on the top of them, and floated
across. It often makes one feel nervous, but
accidents rarely or never occur.

Two days after leaving Calcutta, it was
evident that the Ganges had overflowed its
banks; for there was not a dry spot to be
found in any direction. In this way I travelled
for six days, and the further I proceeded the
more awful appeared the deluge. I was within
ninety miles of Tirhoot, when the palankeen
bearers assured me that it was utterly
impossible to go any further; and that the only
thing to be done was to hire a boat and to
make for Moughur, or Bhayapore; whither
all the unfortunate people were flocking to
save their lives—their cattle, sheep, and all
that they possessed having been swept
away. There was no food of any sort or
kind to be had, not even an egg or a
piece of bread. The natives were subsisting
on green corn-cobs, which they call boota.
Fortunately I had some biscuits in my
palankeen, or I should have died of
starvation.

I had determined on taking the advice of the
bearers, and to hire a boat; but could only