victorious, and the spindle stone fountain or
pillar, set up by a company of enthusiastic
gentlemen, in perpetual memory of the thing.
There is complaint, too, of certain advantages
enjoyed by British traffickers, in such small
matters as the method of rendering accounts
and conducting of correspondence. The Dutch
clerks have to be trained to the British tongue,
as the letters come to them in that language,
and they are required to reply in the same
medium. Accounts reach them in British
balance-sheets, in British pounds, shillings,
and pence, in British tare and tret, in gross
and in net ; and it is expected that they
shall furnish back accounts, not with due
reciprocity, in guilders and cents, not in
Dutch tare and Dutch tret, in gross, or in
net Dutchwise ; but, in this old established
British fashion, and on British book-keeping
principles. With other nations our Dutchman
does business in cosmopolitan French, in
cosmopolitan francs, as do they with him ;
therefore he takes it a little hard, that he
should have to apply himself to the masterlng
of this terrible English tongue. Your
Norwegian is much in the same plight. English
becomes his cosmopolitan French, and it is
curious, sometimes, to hear him and a friendly
Dutchman, breaking English together,
respectably enough. — Recalling, at times,
however, the famous meteorological dialogue
between two chevaliers of the French nation,
who it is to be devoutly hoped, have since
made better progress in the English.

As to his politics, we may say that our
Dutchman is a pure Pococurantist. Trade is
his politics. The safe arrival of the India
fleet is news for him more exciting than the
crash of an odious ministry. So he looks on,
clinking his guilders in his pocket — rather
does not care to turn his head and see what
they are doing with the country. Prices
remain steady, coffee-berries are firm, freight
is light. Why then, O man, be troubled in
mind, or take heed lest the republic receive
detriment? Heavens, how unlike their Belgic
sires of old: rough, poor, content,
ungovernably bold! So sang one who had staid
among them, and knew them well. The
poverty gone, perhaps the contentedness.
Beyond mistake, the ungovernable boldness,
De Ruyter with the broom at his mast-head—
De Witts—sturdy stadtholders—Mauritz's,
ungovernably bold! and surly Hogen Mogen
—all gone now! He is inclined to constitutional
monarchy now, and has for King Meat
Royal William, whose face may be seen on
the coins, physiognomy awfully unprepossessing,
and as the French have it, ugly even
to causing fright.

To the old Napoleon days, when he had
a Napoleonic king thrust upon him, our
Dutchman looks back, with a certain tenderness
and veneration. Something of the
old fire, belonging to their Belgic sires
was stirred in him about that time. He
went up with the great man, and with
the great man he came down. And though
roughly treated at his hands, he still was
brought before Europe's eyes, and was talked
of. He feels a little lazy pride in thinking of
those days. Since then, he has only Chassé
to lean upon. I have heard that when old
King Louis was sojourning in Italy, no Dutch
gentleman came by that way, without turning
aside to pay his respects to his old sovereign.
He lived, not so long since, near to
Pisa, along the pleasant banks of the Arno.
There, he grew old, and rich, and very great
in person, and, when verging on his eightieth
year, grew desperately enamoured of a modest,
well-favoured, damsel, daughter to a lady,
next door, who let out apartments for hire.
Curious to say, neither the halo of departed
royalty, nor the rich coffers, could outweigh
with Mademoiselle Maccaroni age, decrepitude,
and infirmity. Ex-King Louis was
refused, and went home drivelling; it is
to be hoped, were it only to make a pretty
end to the history, that he portioned her
handsomely on her wedding, with Carlo,
or Pietro, or whatever swain was fortunate
enough to win her. Such, however, is not on
record. Depend upon it that Carlo's or
Pietro's grandchildren, sitting by the fire of
winter nights, shall often hear the story how
grandmamma might have been wife to one who
had once been a great king, and had sat on a
throne. Perhaps grandmamma Maccaroni
may hereafter sigh, and think she may have
been a little foolish to have scorned the
great king !

This small sketch of but indifferent handling,
may serve, perhaps, as pendant, to hang
opposite that other cabinet picture of My
Little Dutchwoman, given before. He does
stand out so pleasingly.

Now Ready, Price Threepence, or stamped Fourpence,
THE PERILS
OF
CERTAIN ENGLISH PRISONERS,
AND THEIR TREASURE
IN WOMEN, CHILDREN, SILVER, AND JEWELS.
FORMING
THE CHRISTMAS NUMBER
Of HOUSEHOLD WORDS; and containing Thirty-six
pages, or the amount of One regular Number and a Half.
Household Words Office, No. 16, Wellington Street
North, Strand. Sold by all Booksellers, and at all
Railway Stations.

Also ready, price Five Shillings and Sixpence, neatly
bound in cloth,
THE SIXTEENTH VOLUME
of
HOUSEHOLD WORDS,'
Containing the Numbers issued between the Fourth of
July and the Twelfth of December, Eighteen Hundred
and Fifty-Seven.