my mouth was well open. I took, therefore, a
sudden resolution.

"I cannot," said I, ''afford the time to-day,
besides, the truth is, I only called to inquire,
and I haven't, in fact—any money !"

"Aha !" returned the professor, with a
low leonine growl, "in dat case, I was not
desire the pleasure to see you no more. I
vill save myself some trouble, and you vill
keep your corns !"

Professor Leichdornschläger was a true
prophet—I have them still.

EMBARKATION.

WE are all embarking here—everybody—
some into the Baltic fleet, but most of us to
the Ionian Islands, Smyrna, Scutari, and the
East ; detachments of the line, troops of horse
artillery, entire militia regiments, myriads of
seamen are embarking daily. If you take
train by either of our two great lines from
town, and travel second class, you will know
something of us and our embarkations : files
of marines, militia, and regulars, with parti-
coloured ribbons in their caps, and parti-
coloured bundles in their hands, with budding
moustachios, cropped hair, and cutty pipes,
will be your comrades ; whole ships'
companies of sailors, with hats miraculously
balanced on their left ears, with bundles and
pipes also, with profusion of ringlets, and
tattoed like Otaheitans, will be your mates.
These last are under the charge of two or
three experienced seamen in authority, who
must have magic powers ; our blue jacketed
friends are locked in on both sides, unlike the
rest of us, and are only dissuaded by extreme
entreaty and quids from getting out of the
windows. On arrival at a station everybody
else is well packed off before our tars are let
loose ; they rush with terrible accord upon
the busses, board them irresistibly, and take
perilous post upon their roofs ; nobody
inside, and forty outside, make an omnibus to
roll, so that it is almost as good as on board
ship—moreover, only let the horses be got
into a gallop as they cross the drawbridge,
and it will be perfection.

Our cargo is taken to the dockyard and
goes into a receiving ship, thence to be
drafted into the Baltic fleet. Our streets
are now almost impassable—blocked up by
the outfitters, who turn all their heavier
goods out on the pavement—barricades of
iron bedsteads with arrangements for
musquito curtains, hot water apparatus machine
to destroy bugs, in a case that makes it all
look like a little cottage piano ; something
labelled Indispensable, which seems to contain
the concentrated effects of a cook, black-
smith, carpenter, tent maker, and of an Italian
warehouseman, meets us, in particular,
at every turn. The Cotopaxi may, indeed,
convey such articles, but in a forced march
on pick-a-back, I fancy they would be
cumbrous. The great art of construction appears
to be in making everything appear something
else than it is—a perfectly flat piece of ironwork,
evidently and outwardly a gridiron, is
shown to be, in reality, a chair, a rest, a
hammock, and a reading-desk, enhanced by adulation
from the vender at every stage of
transformation, reminding us of the proprietors of
Protean fans at Goodwood and Ascot. Our
young friend Calm, of the Royal Rampshire,
has been let in for several ships' full of these
things—"without which no officer should
embark on foreign service." He has a certain
cast-iron umbrella which forms a sword and
a toasting-fork, a fishing-rod and a minié
rifle, weighs little more than thirteen hundred-
weight, said to be very useful in the Crimea,
which Calm is not going to at all. Enormous
heaps of these things lie on the dockyard
jetties beside their destined vessels, or are
pitched about in obscure holds in a way not
reckoned upon by their manufacturers. The
Cotopaxi, we see, has had positively too much
of them, and will have no more, and the
seven hundred and fifty surplus arks remain
immoveable on the wharf until this day.
She took some three hundred horses on board
yesterday, beside a whole army of human
beings. These first were brought to the jetty
in most excellent condition, and led up the
ship's side along a sawdust plane, after the
manner of the circus. None were slung on
board by the ancient process of great bands
under their bellies, with the head and feet of
the unhappy quadruped dangling down
betwixt heaven and earth, like that most noble
order of the Golden Fleece, but each had his
comfortable pew allotted to him on the main
deck, well padded and covered in on all sides,
with his head inwards and his tail to the
sea. As he walked up through that long
double line, it almost seemed that they were
the spectators and we the spectatees—an
opera-glass and a white neckerchief would
have inverted them into occupants of opera
stalls, now yawning with ennui, now
annoying us with observations to his next
neighbour.

Nevertheless, it was necessary to convey
some of their high mightinesses between decks
after all ; a square box opening at two ends,
well padded, and without a lid, swung by
strong ropes from a pulley, was placed on
deck ; and into this machine, either backwards
or forwards, as they least objected, the animals
were enticed. They disliked this process
much, and, when once shut in, cast the most
piteous glances over the assembled company,
nay, even in some instances, as they were
heaved aloft, screamed with terror ; yet, for
the most part, it was remarkable what
confidence and perfect trust each seemed to have
in his owner who never lost hold of the bridle,
and guided the unhappy swinging carcase
safe down the narrow hatchway.

The Royal Rampshire are off at last : they
are gone to