he believed would cause the funds to rise, he
ordered the broker who usually transacted
his business to sell out half a million of stock.
This of course became known at once, and
the fact alone caused a depression of one or
two per cent. Availing himself of this fall,
Rothschild gave orders to other brokers not
in his employ to purchase to the extent of
several millions at the reduced price, and
In a day or two Capel Court was puzzled at
learning good news when they were
expecting bad.

Both Rothschild and Baring availed
themselves of the use of pigeon-expresses for
conveying important intelligence for a distance,
and these continued to be used up to a very
recent period. They exceed in rapidity all
other means except the electric telegraph,
which has now superseded every other method.
But inasmuch as this means is open to
all, and since the daily journals forestall all
private intelligence, there is no longer the
same opportunity which formerly existed for
working the market in anticipation. It is
true some men of no character contrive to
work even electric telegraphs to their own
purposes by forwarding through them false
or exaggerated statements, yet these are
scarcely so numerous as might be expected,
and are soon detected.

Amongst the devices resorted to by the
unscrupulous men who occasionally find
admission into the Stock Exchange, is one
almost impossible to prevent, and equally
difficult to punish. Two persons acting in
concert agree the one to buy, and the other
to sell "for the account" to as large an
extent as may be possible. This will be done
when some fluctuation is expected; and it
follows that when the settling day arrives,
one of the party will be a gainer in the same
ratio to the losses of the other. It is thus
possible that whilst one becomes a heavy
defaulter, having no means, the other will
have realised a handsome fortune, and this,
unless the fortunate schemer outwits his
fellow, will be afterwards divided between
them. These transactions, however to be
regretted, will happen, despite the one
hundred and fifty-nine stringent rules of the
Stock Exchange Committee.

CHIPS.

HER MAJESTY'S SERVICE AGAIN.

I AM a Queen's messenger, or rather,
I was; for, of course, I am a ghost, or I
should not dare to write this article. Well
then I was a Queen's messenger, and it was
while hurrying home from Dahomey with the
account of an Ambassadorial squabble that
I met with a little adventure in the
neighbouring state of Tombuctoo, which retarded
my journey. It also caused me for some
time to be in bad odour with the clerks of
the Foreign Office; and, as all my happiness
while in this world of course depended on
the opinion of those gentlemen, I am
anxious, though a shade, to clear my defunct
reputation in their eyes.

About the time to which I refer, many
people were meeting with similar mishaps,
for it was subsequent to the appointment of
Lord Fiddlededee as British representative
at that Court, and the Government of
Tombuctoo were happy in the conviction that they
might take any liberty they liked with such
an agreeable elderly gentleman. This however
was not my fault, it was merely my misfortune.

My mishap occurred in a railway, and in
consequence of the suspicious appearance of
a commercial traveller, who sat on the opposite
seat. He had a book of patterns with
him—a neat book—an English book, with a
morocco cover, and a little patent lock. It
might have been a despatch box, or it might
have been used, indeed, for carrying forbidden
pamphlets and revolutionary manifestoes;
though, I confess, this idea did not occur to
me at the time.

Being anxious to do as much business as
possible, no matter what was the subject
started by his travelling companions, he
contrived to turn it, soon or late, to printed
cottons, and to open his book of patterns.
He was a pushing, bustling, money-making
Briton, with spare whiskers, and a smug,
clean face.

Between Dahomey and Tombuctoo he had
opened his book of patterns, twenty times,
to different persons who he supposed might
be likely to trade with him; and a close
acquaintance had sprung up between us.
Indeed, I was never tired of admiring the
smart little man and his patterns. His determined
earnestness in trying to take fortune
by the forelock, and to bear her away from
all competitors, had a kind of fascination.

We were drawing near to the famous
capital of Tombuctoo, and travelling quite
alone in a large carriage. Every now and
then, the guard came to look at us to see
if we were safe; once or twice he called us
by our names and referred to an ominous
looking paper which he carried in his hand.
Various guards came in to look at us indeed,
and on the appearance of every new one,
something almost like the ceremony of an
introduction seemed to pass between us.

My acquaintance, whose name was Gossop,
grew alarmed; and even to me there seemed
something suspicious in the close attention
paid to us. At length, on our arrival at
Tombuctoo, the book of patterns disappeared
for ever. Perhaps the authorities at
Tombuctoo were ashamed to give it up, after
having arrested two peaceable individuals on
the strength of its contents. Perhaps they
thought it might furnish a clue to some new
species of cypher. At all events we passed
just sixteen hours in a most dreary gaol, till
the matter was cleared up in some incomprehensible