were carried on at a great expense, and with various success, from court to court, and from term to term, till at last all were given against him. Then the parishioners rose against him likewise, and, swearing that he had ruined them, turned him out of office with hissing and hooting, and re-elected the old churchwardens and overseers, with their usual acclamations and vows that they should, ever afterwards, be perfectly satisfied with them and them only.

We did hope then, that they would have been better neighbours; but, after a few months, they missed the excitement of litigation, to which their whole attention had been so long directed, and so recalled their lately disgraced officer, giving him full power to enter an appeal against all the actions in which they had been previously cast. Accordingly he commenced proceedings; but, so far from succeeding, was not only nonsuited, but they were compelled this time to pay costs on both sides. So once more they kicked him out, and re-elected the old parishofficers, who continued in their places for several years, and managed matters so that the parish appeared to be subsiding into tranquillity. But the desire of change was not quelled; and, on a sudden, a violent uproar arose about the mode of printing the parish accounts. With us the affair would have been amicably argued and adjusted at a vestry-meeting, but not so with our neighbours; they insisted upon another change of parish-officers, though quite at a loss who to choose. So for three days they were in a state of riot and confusion, which they called "glorious;" and it is supposed that nothing but fear of the neighbouring magistrates (whose interference with the posse comitatus, however, they affected to despise) led them eventually to elect such persons as were willing to serve. when once elected, they declared that all, and particularly the head churchwarden, were the only people fit to manage the affairs of the parish; though the said churchwarden had never been in office before, and few people knew any thing of his real character, as he had resided long abroad. Our neighbours, however, shouted and hurraed as usual at his election, and have, ever since, been threatening to go to law with somebody. How long things will remain thus is, of course, uncer

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tain, as the present officers do not seem inclined to litigation, and have, consequently, been several times threatened with dismissal.

Thus much it was necessary to say of the neighbouring parish, because it is to be feared that their chopping and changing, and other bad habits, have, in no small degree, affected ours. All is strangely altered with us lately. The good people seem dissatisfied with every thing that has been tried and proved to be useful, merely because it is not new. They have taken it into their heads that the old parish-officers, who contrived to get us through our difficulties when hampered with lawsuits, and brought all to a successful termination, are not fit to manage our affairs now, when there is comparatively nothing to be done. So they chose a fresh set, who at first made themselves "hail fellow, well met!" with the ale-house gossipers; who, in return, cheered and hurraed them, and went swaggering about the streets after the fashion of the neighbouring parish, to the great scandal and alarm of all quiet, well-disposed people, and at last took so much upon them, that the new parish-officers themselves were frightened. But then it was too late, as several of the noisiest fellows had got themselves admitted to the vestrymeetings, where they found fault with every thing, in the same manner they had formerly done in the pot-houses; and, in consequence, many of the oldest and most respectable inhabitants, not being able to make themselves heard, ceased to attend. Several, indeed, were grossly insulted; and among the rest our clergyman, a quiet, inoffensive man, as any parish could desire to have. But he had always been on friendly terms with the old churchwardens, and that was sufficient to make him disliked by the new set; and as several of them never went to church, they scrupled not to affirm that a parson was of no sort of use in the parish.

By such means they managed to get the upper-hand in the vestry, and having obtained that, they talked loudly and proudly of what great things they would do, and how they would reduce the rates and all sorts of expenses. All this sounded very well, and many were foolish enough to believe them; but instead of performing their promises, one got himself appointed head

constable, and others obtained contracts for supplying the poor-house with coals, meat, shoes, clothing, and so forth. Thus all ended by some paltry savings, which tended only to reduce the few comforts of paupers who were past work, while the benefit to the parish was imperceptible. Still, however, they continued bragging of what they would do; and scarcely a day passed without their proposing and discussing some new scheme or alteration; and the noise and uproar they made, both at the vestry and public-houses, made ignorant people stare, and fancy that they must be really very clever fellows.

At last, when almost at their wits' end with talking and doing nothing, they heard of a quarrel among the children in the charity-school, and how the master had interfered and beaten one of the boys, it was said, most unmercifully.

This seemed a proper subject for inquiry, particularly as the said schoolmaster was not of their party, and had twenty pounds a-year and a house to live in, to which a garden was attached. Therefore he was called to appear before them; but he declined coming, because the school was founded and supported by private charity, and he had been appointed by the trustees.

Hereupon they were greatly enraged, and vowed that every body and every thing in and about the parish should be under their control; and some proposed to let or sell the house and land immediately, and apply the produce to the general fund. The general feeling among them was indignation at the schoolmaster's independence of their authority, and envy at the snug "berth" he held. One declared that he had good reason for believing the salary was nearer thirty pounds than twenty, and that the consumption of coals was sufficient for three such houses; and that therefore the surplus was, no doubt, sold by the master for his own benefit. In short, it was declared that the school was an old establishment, and therefore full of corruption and abuses, and totally unfit for the present advanced state of the

human intellect.

Having arrived at this decision on the character of the charity, they proceeded to investigate the particular abuse of boy-beating; and when it was stated that the urchin was a cripple, a universal yell arose against the master,

as a monster of cruelty and iniquity, and a tool of corruption. So forthwith a commission of inquiry was instituted, the members of which sat at a publichouse, and summoned before them divers old women and children to give evidence.

"What's your name, my dear?" asked the chairman of a little girl, who was the first witness.

"Sally Box," was the reply.
"How old are you?"

"I don't know," replied the child. "She don't know!" exclaimed the chairman," what deplorable ignorance! she has not even been taught her age!"

"She's a Portogee," cried an old woman present; " and she was born in a popish country, where her mother, Sal Smith as was, followed her husband, Jem Box, as was a soldier; and he was killed and she died, and so nobody knows exactly how old little Sal is, as they've no parish registers in them heathenish countries."

"Heathenish countries !" exclaimed the indignant chairman,—“ let me tell you, my good woman, that such a manner of speaking of a religion different from your own is most uncongenial and incompatible with the liberal and enlightened spirit of the present day. It is no matter what a man believes. Every one has a right to think and judge for himself; ay, and to speak his opinions openly, without any detriment to his political rights and franchise. Are we not all brethren? not liberty the birthright of every one of us? If I had the power, I'd have you clapped into the stocks directly. Popish and heathenish, indeed! Gentlemen, this is scandalous !"

Is

What would the neighbouring parish think of us if we did? No, sir, we are determined to put down every thing of the kind, and to do our duty; and, moreover, to see that you do yours."

"I never considered it any part of my duty to listen to all the old women's gossip," said the workhouse master, doggedly.

"You had better recollect to whom you are speaking," observed the chairman. "What you call gossip is, more correctly, the expression of opinions which ought to be entirely exploded. This woman has denounced papists as heathens; and you know we have some of that persuasion in the parish, as well as other dissenters. There is no telling to what this may lead: the mischief might be incalculable if we appeared to countenance any thing of the sort. Pray, who is this miserable old creature, that fattens upon the public purse and yet gives herself such liberties?"

The workhouse master replied, that the poor woman had always borne a very good character; that her name was Esther Smith, and she had not come to the workhouse till utterly unable to do any thing towards providing for her own support.

"Humph! I don't see any thing the matter with her,” observed one of the inquirers.

"Nor I," said another.

"She's regularly worn out," continued the master. "She's upwards of seventy, and has the rheumatism very bad."

"It isn't in her tongue, then," observed the chairman; and his attempt at wit excited great glee in his colleagues.

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"No," said the master, bluntly; "talking's pretty near all the comfort she has now; but sometimes she has a terrible headach, and so she's allowed twopence a-week for snuff."

"Eh! what? twopence a-week for snuff!" exclaimed the chairman. "Shameful! abominable!" cried his neighbour.

"A downright waste of money!" added a third.

seers," replied the workhouse master; "they always passed the accounts."

“Oh, they did, did they!" said the chairman, smiling grimly. "I've no doubt of it: they would pass any thing, I really believe. But times are changed now, let me tell you; and we are determined on retrenchment. We will suffer no such scandalous waste of the public money. Twopence a-week! and that to gratify an old woman's bad habits."

"But the doctor recommended her to take it," said the master.

"Aha! did he so?" exclaimed the chairman, exultingly. "Another abuse! Corruption again!-we find it at every turn. The whole system is corrupt! There will be no end to our work of reformation: the medical department must likewise undergo a strict investigation. Why, the surgeon has twenty pounds a-year allowed him for medicine and attendance on the poor, besides extraordinary payments for lyingin women and accidents. You observe, my friends, he has signed his name, and agreed to provide medicines; but see how he escapes by a side-windinstead of going to his own shelves, he prescribes snuff, and the parish is saddled with twopence a-week! If he orders them snuff, it is his duty to supply them with it.”

"Most undoubtedly,” said one of his colleagues; "nothing can be clearer." "And suppose he orders them soup and water-gruel," asked the master, "is he to find them too?"

"Humph!" said the chairman, “I suppose you think that a very witty question but I shall not commit myself by answering it at present. Indeed I have very considerable doubts whether he ought not to be at the sole expense of every thing of that kind, when furnished in any other way, and at any other hour, than the regular and stated meals. But we must institute an inquiry expressly for the medical department. In the meanwhile I take upon myself, as a precautionary measure for the public benefit, to discharge you from making any farther twopenny weekly payments, till this abuse has been regularly brought forward and discussed at the vestry."

Here dinner was announced, and thus ended the first sitting to inquire into the demerits of the schoolmaster. But there arose therefrom a long debate, at the next vestry meeting, which termi