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establishment in Portland Place, or Portman Square; besides his country residence, which is risen from a cottage to a mansion; to which at stated times the family repair. But what a change of scene! the ennui is insupportable. And the difficulty of getting masters to attend the children is not to be surmounted. As to Desi, he'll not stir, for love nor money; consequently Augusta will not be perfect in that brilliant solo for the harp, which was intended for the ear of Royalty; and Amelia will cut but a poor figure in the quadrilles next season at Almack's.

At Almack's!-Amelia Traffic cut a figure at Almack's!

What will the Lady Patronesses say to such presumption? No matter-the trial must be made; and a governess engaged who, in the absence of masters, can perfect the fair candidates for applause in their different accomplishments. Accordingly an advertisement is drawn up, and despatched for insertion; which, by good management, makes its appearance the following day in the Morning Post; running thus:

"WANTED, by a Family on the eve of departure from Town, a finishing Governess for two young Ladies who have just left school. She must be able to teach them English, French, and Italian grammatically, and be perfectly conversant in each. Music, Drawing, Writing and Arithmetic, History, Geogra phy and Astronomy, with the use of the Globes-and if she can give them occasional lessons in Singing and Dancing, it will be the more agreeable. In addition to these usual branches of education, she will be expected to cultivate a taste for Litera. ture and the fine Arts, and to improve her Pupils in grace and

elegance of manners. Thirty Pounds per Annum, exclusive of washing, will not be objected to; and the Lady will be allowed to associate with the family."

Was ever any thing so preposterous? Education is come to a fine pitch, to be sure! The ladies have just left school, and want a finishing governess! And thirty pounds per annum for such a combination of talents! Should they be found in one individual, she may indeed be thought qualified to associate with the family. It surely surpasses all the WANTS of such a nature that ever were, or ever will be wanted. The Traffics have amassed a pretty round sum by fair means or foul, and seem to know how to take care of it,—if one may judge by the liberal offer made in the advertisement above. Thus, while the offspring of a thriving Snip, or a noted Crispin, are educated for the wives of noblemen, gentlemen of high birth and education are often doomed to place their sons behind the counter of a Mr. Twist or a Mr. Allspice, to weigh a pound of soap or an ounce of tobacco; and to behold their daughters filling the very desirable situation of governess or companions, and lavishing their talents on a race of illiberal-minded plebeians, who know not how to value them; and are too apt to shew every indignity that purse-proud gentry are so capable of bestowing on their superiors, when doomed by hard necessity to enter their abode.

But after all, when these accomplished daughters are brought out, in all probability a negotia

tion of greater interest will be entered upon, with some Spark of fashion; who will immediately put the hoarded cash into circulation, and squander it away, perhaps, in greater haste than it was amassed. But no matter; the whole family of the Traffics have made a fine collection, by imposing on one, defrauding another, and obliging a third with the profits at a pretty heavy interest,

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What then, Mr. Bareface! Do you really mean to intimate that there are no honest traders in our great commercial city?

Not exactly so, neither ;-but I am apt to fear there are not a great many, according to the present appearance of things, and the report of a few individuals of unshaken integrity and honor; who declare that business is carried on in such a trickish way at present, that the fair ingenuous dealer has no chance whatever of getting forward in the world. Such men must, therefore, retire and leave their families to provide for themselves; or they must adopt the plan of making money, honestly if they can; but at all events to make money;" otherwise they'll soon be outwitted by their neighbours, and ruin must be the consequence.

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So high an opinion had Sir Justus Earnest of commercial integrity, that he has more than once openly declared, not one of his sons should ever have any thing to do with traffic; for this very reason," 'twas next to impossible" he said,

"for an honest man to make any figure in the world by it."

It is to be hoped, however, that the honorable Baronet, though so scrupulously just in his principles, was, for once, a little out in his judgment. Be that as it may, the great theatre of fashion of the present day would certainly not be so much crowded with figurantes of every description, if the profits of trade were limited by honesty and justice; nor would your tailor's bill be quite so high, Mr. Dandy;-neither would your shoemaker drive his curricle with a pair of beautiful bays, and an elegantly dressed female by his side, unless he levied a pretty high fine upon you and your companions, to enable him to do so. It may well be said the world's turned topsyturvy, for the rage for grandeur infects every class of society. Each tries to outdo his neighbour; and a wealthy Trader may now be seen living in splendor and luxury, quite equal to the first Nobles of the land, and far superior to the well-born and best-bred Gentry of the times. The encouragement they meet with emboldens them to assume upon their wealth; they get a box at the opera ;-drive out on a Sunday, not in an humble gig, as formerly, to take the air after being confined a week behind the counter, but to cut a dash in a superb carriage, and an equipage suitable with modern grandeur. And thus they make their way in circles where their forefathers would not have been admitted to stand behind a chair!!

So flagrant is the assurance of these half-bred gentry, that they scruple not to push for precedence, and treat with utter contempt many of their superiors in birth, rank, and education; and sometimes actually look forward to an alliance with some family of distinction. It is a notorious fact, that one of those celebrated Crispins well known at the west-end of the town, offered, a few years back, to liquidate a young Nobleman's debt, and give him ten thousand pounds to boot, to make a Lady of his daughter!-stating, at the same time, that she was a proficient in all the fashionable accomplishments of the day. The proposal, however, was rejected with indignation, and treated with the contempt it deserved.

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