a buck and saw, and became a redoubtable sawyer. But he could not get over his old propensity-and whenever a lady passed where he was at work, the little man was always observed to stop his saw, lean his knee on the stick of wood, and gaze at her till she was quite out of sight. Thus, like Antony, he sacrificed the world for a woman-for he soon lost all employment-he was always so long about his work. The last time I saw him he was equipped in the genuine livery of poverty, leaning against a tree on the Battery, and admiring the ladies.

The last of the trio of Frenchmen, which erst attracted our boyish notice, was an old man, who had once been a naval officer, and had a claim of some kind or other, with which he went to Washington every session, and took the field against Amy Dardin's horse. Congress had granted him somewhere about five thousand, which he used to affirm was recognizing the justice of the whole claim. The money produced him an interest of three hundred and fifty dollars a year, which he divided into three parts. One-third for his board, clothing, &c.; one for his pleasures, and one for the expenses of his journey to the seat of govern

ment.

He travelled in the most economical style-eating bread and cheese by the way; and once was near running a fellow-passenger through the body, for asking him to eat dinner with him, and it should cost him nothing. He always dressed neatly-and sometimes of a remarkably fine day would equip himself in uniform, gird on his trusty and rusty sword, and wait upon his excellency the governor. There was an eccentric sort of chivalry about him, for he used to insult every member of Congress who voted against his claim; never put up with a slight of any kind from any body, and never was known to do a mean action, or to run in debt. There was a deal of dignity too in his appearance and deportment, though of the same eccentric cast, so that whenever he walked the streets he attracted a kind of notice not quite amounting to admiration, and not altogether free from merriment. Peace to his claim and his ashes; for he and Amy Dardin's horse alike have run their race, and their claims have survived them.

Now that we are on the subject, let me ask you if you ever saw Gen. Pillet's account of his residence in England, where he was a prisoner?

The general appears to be a great wag-and with a justifiable retaliation has completely turned the tables upon the English, by a sort of wholesale satire upon the whole nation. It is written in the very spirit of the English writings and reviews of French morals and manners, and is justifiable only on the score of retaliation. He says the prisoners in England have such short allowance from the government that they devour horses alive; that the ladies of rank uniformly retire to a private room after dinner, and get tipsy, and are so awkward that they all seem born with two left hands! Poor Squire Bull I perceive is in a great passion, at being thus paid in his own coin ; the Courier thinks it exceedingly ungrateful in the French, who are indebted to England for the recovery of their liberty, to buy such scandalous abuse; and even the Quarterly Review, the common libeller of the human race, has the unblushing effrontery to dare to complain of this righteous retaliation. Nay, Frank, what is worthy of special note, several of our Reviewers and celebrated scholars have discovered a feeling of most edifying indignation at Gen. Pillet's abuse

of England, such as they never exhibited when their own country was infamously calumniated. Good bye.

P. S. I have not time to tell you how we got down from the mountain.

LETTER XVIII.

IN

DEAR FRANK,

my last,* I unmuzzled my wisdom upon you in a speculation, which, if you have read with proper attention, you are at least as wise as you were before. This is more than can be said of every novelty; for there are many new discoveries that only increase men's ignorance, by overturning an old established and respectable opinion, and substituting doubts in its place. For my part, what with chymistry, geology, and some other improving sciences, I am set fairly afloat, and begin to doubt, as Touchstone says, ' whether ipse is he; whether fire, water, earth, and air, the good old constituent elements, are elements or not, and finally whether this earth was ever made at all. Poor Oliver is in a fair way of be