1F UN.


 A CONTENTED MIND.

 Old Party, mildly :-" HAVEN'T YOU GOT AN APRON ? IT'S SNOwXIG VERY
FAST."
 Driver:--"No; NE'ER A APRON, TO-DAY. I DON'T IIND IT WITHOUT IT
RAINS !"


 STRANGER THAN FICTION.
 (Continued from the Cornhill)
 On the 1st of April last, M[i. B-- was seated by himself
at a table, when the spirits announced themselves as present
in three distinct manners. After sitting for somo time, and
occasionally making use of the crystal, he became aware that
he was entirely under their influence. The table began to
rock violently, and the chair on which MN. ---was scented
oscillated so much that he was thrown on the floor. While
there, he asked for the name of any spirit present, on which
he perceived a label, apparently silver, with the letters (, T,
and N, upon it, which he understood to be the nanm of his
late servant JANE, who was discharged for stealing the
spoons. About this time Mlr. B-- heard a voice calling,
" GEORGE, are you coming to bed?" on which he became
quite unconscious.
 (N.B.-Sinco the above was set up, we have received a
note from MRS. B- to say that GEOuRGE, being lefl alone
with the spirit-stand, indulged a little too freely in gin, ruin,
or brandy-or all three, and was so overcome as to tfll under
the table, whereupon his good lady was compelled to descend
and assist him to his couch.)


 FOUND
 IN the columns of the Saturiday Rreccrw, a paper entitled
" Old Letters," of no use to any one but the owner (and of
very little to him). It was written on foolscap, an uiiiisnal
vehicle for epistolary writing, but that generally selected by
the person in question, as proved by internal evidence. 'The
estray alludes to May-day Dreams," and a young pert-on
called JESSI:, with "soft brown hair." As tlihe icio ha:im
clearly no right to appear in the Saturd!/y, thll Editors of
the Family Hcerald, London Journal, or IIC(fpnany GazcttI'
are hereby informed that if not claimed by them very shortly,
it will be sold (if possible) to the butterman to defray expenses
of advertising.


 THE PnOVOST ELECT.-ThO successOr of DR. IAWTIsRE
is to be DR. GoonDoun, who was so frightfully chaffed' by
PATERFAMILIAS in the Coritill. It is only fair that, after
having been roasted, he should get Eton.


 SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
 THE promise, dear FUN, which I made I now hasten to fulfil; I
mean as regards the sporting intelligence, for I cannot pay you that
small amount until at latest next week. Wishing to see some coursing,
I applied to my young friend DE COURCY, who kindly invited me down
to his country house. And here I cannot help remarking, by the way,
that my young friend, who has such an elegant style of horsemanship
in Rotten-row when mounted on his hunter, has, when among his tenant
farmers, quite a country seat. However, as the proverb says, when
in Rome play trumps. Well, I arrived late in the afternoon, and the
kind housekeeper telling me that there would be dinner soon, offered
a cup of tea' as a refresher. I accepted, te duce, as we used to say at
school, and deuced good tea it was too. My friends came in, and then
dinner followed as a matter of course-or rather of several courses,
all equally good, and each one better than the other. We didn't get to
bed till very late. Some didn't get to bed at all; and I, doubtless with
a view to getting up early (though I don't clearly recollect such
an idea entering my head), slept with my clothes and boots on. In the
morning I had a violent headache: I notice that change of air often
affects me in this manner. I went down stairs, but couldn't find DE
CouRCY. Hearing that he had gone to the stable, and being anxious
to know what he had settled on doing, I went and listened to the
chink of the door,-I mean I went to the chink and listened; I knew
that he did not like any one to enter the stable, which was full of
"cracks." He was talking to a coarse man, who on further acquaint-
ance I found was a courser. He had some dogs with him, which he
talked of letting out on leash; I suppose like houses, by the year.
These dogs are called grayhounds, but why I can't tell, as they
were all black, or a sort of light tan. I was to ride alone to see the
fun, as the others had all gone on before me. By the groom's direc-
tion, however, I soon found myself in a part of the country called the
Flats, so named from the proverbial stupidity of its inhabitants.
Here I found a gentleman who was angrily asking which way the


hounds had gone? of a countryman who, it turned out,, afler a great
deal of railing, was as deaf as a post. Of course I was unabllo to
inform him. He then throw in the remark that lie had bocn thrown
out, on which I trusted that he hadn't hurt himself.
 Two or three dykes intersected the country, and the innocent sheep
with their dams completed the rural picture. We managed to find a
ford at one of these wide cuttings, the people being too poor to afford
a bridge. In this part of the world no one who is fond of riding can
fail to laud the commons. We wandered on in a very zig-zag road,
while deeply interested in a qiostion of strata, and then suddenly
breaking off in his discourse, my acquaintance proposed a cantor. I
acceded. My horse's spirits know no bounds. I wish, by the way, I
could have said the same for his legs; for after a series of jumps,
he began to scuttle along with a movement called a carry-coal, or
some such name. There was a heap of stones before nc; thcse
ho took with ease (with case!), and then shied at a post. It was
a tall white polo with a board on the top, announcing prosecution n
for all trespassers, according to law;" and as this notice was in the
meadows, I suppose it alludes to the unchangeable law of the Meads.
We were going on rather unevenly, he keeping on trying to be off, and I
endeavouring not to be off by keeping on, when three wretched sheep
dogs took to my horse's heels,on which he (with panuonablo vanity) took
to his own. My noble animal kicked one of the dogs into some deep
water while making a cur-vette. At this I was at a high pitch of
delight, and the next moment I was at a higher pitch in the air. When
I recovered myself, I saw that there was a screw loose and galloping
over the fields. The two dogs were very annoying, although I, being
fond of animals, merely said, "Don't worry." With thliso brutes
behind me, I made for a gate, and, while getting over it, harked "
my shin. This bark was not so bad as their bite; but as I left the
snapping brutes, I consoled myself with the proverb, "what's done
can't be yelped," and went home.-I remain, yours truly,
 CONRIIAI TIE COIIRSEI.
 P.S.-I forgot to say that I didn't see any coursing, after all.


VOL. 1. I IB


MARCH 1, 1862.]


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