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age, all which things were found in this huge sea-monster's inside. But what excited most surprise and admiration was the hide of a buffalo, killed on board that day, for the ship's company's dinner. The old sailor who had cut open the shark stood with a foot on each side, and drew out the articles, one by one, from the huge cavern into which they had been indiscriminately drawn. When the operator came at last to the buffalo's-skin, he held it up before him like a curtain, and exclaimed, 'There, my lads, d'ye see that? he has swallowed a buffalo, but he could not dis-gest the hide."

THE GREAT BLACK FIGHT BETWEEN MANUEL VICTORINE AND LALLA SOORTEE.

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A little bit of LIFE," it should seem, is the order of the day in Bombay, amongst the folks who are far distant from their "dear native home;" and, like at every other place when the NOBS can enjoy it upon the sly, they do not mind masquerading it for a short time to please "their Fancy." The Editor of the Sporting Magazine, published at the Courier Press, appears from the description of " the ROW," as he terms it, to have most fully entered into spirit of the Black Mill.' He thus observes :- "Yesterday morning several hundred coppered-coloured amateurs of sporting celebrity, who uphold by their patronage the nascent interests of native pugilism, proceeded to settle the long chaffed of fight between the above named coveys, Manuel being a Bawurchee, from Bandora, near that pig-prolific place, Mahim; and Lalla, a milling Mussaulchee, of the Mogul Seroy, Surat, for a bottle of rack and a belly full.

"The quarrel which gave rise to this meeting is somewhat singular, and deserves previous mention; it originated in Lalla having, upon a certain afternoon, furtively and feloniously introduced his long bony fingers into a dish of curry, just removed from master's table, with the somewhat proper intention of extracting all, or parts, of its savoury contents, for the benefit, comfort, and consolation of his own personal gastric regions; and which said savoury contents, time out of mind (that is, since he was able to handle a handee in the kitchen, or chase a chicken to death in the compound), had ever been considered by Manuel (agreeably to the usages of his ancestors) as his legitimate property, and had by him been always accordingly appropriated to his own private and peculiar refreshment. This atrocious intrusion did not escape the lynx-eyed vigilance of the injured person, who having what is commonly called an obliquity of vision, had (whilst hisstraight-forward optic watched the projection of the pudding) kept his Lesbian squinter dancing in zig-zags all over the kitchen.

The cook-boy's eye, in a rum phrenzy rolling, Glances from pot to pan, from pan to pot, And. as the steamy odours issuing forth Denote their rich contents, the cook-boy's ladle Tumbles them forth, and gives to hungry subs A devilish prime blow-out and d-d good feed!'

Manuel, thus wary and vigilant, although busied in the mysterious duties of his avocation, heard, with surprise, the lean and hungry Cassius-looking Lalla, as he stealthily stole into the cook-room; he watched him with wonder, ogling the curry-dish; he beheld him with horror lift the lid, and with uncontrollable indignation he saw him thrust his Day-and-Martin fist slap-dash in the saffroncoloured contents, which, with the skill and rapidity of an accomplished purloiner, he was conveying to the upper end of his middle garment, when, dashing the custard full into the pilferer's face, the enraged Bawurchee brandished his iron ladle, and, with one welldirected blow, he laid Mussaulchee flat!

"No sooner had he thus floored him, than he applied his foot, with scientific force and dexterity, to that tender part of poor Lalla's person, which I should blush to mention, but which George Colman, in his usual felicitous way, wittily, yet delicately, denominates 'The head's Antipodes.' Thus both ends of the intruder's carcase experienced their share of punishment; the upper story from the ladle thump, and the blistering effects of the scalding custard, and the fundamental department from the rat-a-tat application of the cook's unmitigated kicks. The prostrate pilferer darted from the scene of his disgrace, well daubed with the yellow fruits of his crime, blent with the hot creamy curds of the custard, and sprinkled with the blood which the blow on his head and the kicks on the opposite sphere had produced from his nasal promontory.

"The butler listened to the Mussaulchee's story, who, having the very material advantage of a first hearing, was, of course, believed and absolved from all blame; while the cook, though he produced the remains of both curry and custard, in corroboration of the correctness of his statement, was pronounced to be a liar, and reported as such and more to his master, who, of course, on the Bootrel's verdict, ordered him into the house, and licked him on the spot. This second-hand sort of justice, from the hands of the Sahib, did not satisfy the gnawings of revenge which the Mussaulchee felt in his bosom, and the beating which the cook had so unjustly received made him also impatient to return the same with interest on the skin and bones of the violator of his rights. Both being so ready and so willing, a meeting was arranged by their mutual friends, and it was agreed (at the suggestion of some incipient pugilists) that they should box it out, Englis fassun, and that day fortnight was fixed for the fight.

"THE PREPARATIONS.-The day dawned as days usually dawn in the Deccan; first a faint

greyish light glimmered in the east, then off went the morning gun, and on to parade marched the military, and out for their constitutionals toddled the civil and the sick; a tint of crimson flushed the horizon, and up rose the golden sun; then back to their barracks bundled the red-jackets, and home to their cribs cantered the blacks. The intelligence of a fight with fists having been widely spread, and the office having been given for Bosregaum, a half ruined village about seven miles from Poona, the roads leading to it by the Sungum, Kirkee, or Bhopekail, were crowded with all the native lads of the Fancy in camp, from the peculating Parsee rumbling in his cow-cart, or rattling on his broken-kneed and broken-winded prad, to the pariar outcast, who, for the love of fun and the novelty of a fight, had for once forsaken the necessary duties of his brush and basket, and left his matutinal stores, like unseen flowers, 'to waste their sweetness in the desert air.' In one continuous line, like a procession of black ants, were seen the senor partizans of the cook; the first circle sort dandily done up in true Monmouth-street toggery, with faded green coats, sky-blue waistcoats, and yellowochre tights, their tout ensemble something Europeanized by the frilled shirts of their masters borrowed from the Dhobee, and their dog's ears bound up to their cheek bones by dingy silk fogles. Most of these kiddies might have quoted the facetious Hood, and said,

'I have a hat which is not all a hat,
Part of the brim is gone.'

The riff-raff coves of this party were principally countrymen also, joined by others of 'Master's caste,' coatless, hatless, shoeless, shirtless, almost breechless rogues, who kept up the courage and spirits of their champion by shouting well-known rhymes of reproach to the sons of Surat. The Mussaulchee was escorted by the cadgers, costermongers, prime slavey swells, and nothing-to-do lootchas of every sect in Camp, Hindoo, Purwarree, Mussulmaun, Dhare, high caste, low caste, and no caste, all with noise, uproars, shouts, threats, oaths, and abuse; all in dust and confusion, toddled on all agog for the fray, all ripe for fun and all brimful of rack, and mowrah, and opium, and that veed of all veeds, boys, the backee.'

"APPEARANCE OF THE MEN.-At half-past seven Manuel, attired in a sky-blue (something tarnished) coat, garnished with brass buttons, with the flaps warming his hips, and the skirts dallying with his heels, in a red waistcoat that looked like an infantry shell, and nankeen fie-for-shames that reached to his calves, entered the centre of the gentlemanly crowd, attended by his two intimate friends, Antone and Gabriel; the latter as little resembled his Angel namesake as the former did his patron saint. On shelling, Manuel appeared in good condition; a squinting, swarthy, long-backed

covey, with a straight leg and a bandy one, a half woolly head of hair, deep set dark eyes, a Blackfriars-bridge kind of konk, and a particularly pendulous nether lip. Lalla arrived and peeled at the same time, and never was there seen so splendid a specimen of anatomy he was a fac-simile of the 'Living Skeleton ;' indeed, so little flesh or muscle did he exhibit, that his bones rattled as he walked. He was pewter-blind of his dexter ogle, and his sinister one was as protrusive as a lobster's; between those lay his sneezer, a three-cornered looking feature, like the button of a privydoor; his nostrils extending equal to the corners of his lips, which were both skinny and scruffy.

"THE FIGHT.-Round 1. Both men were over lushy, and, consequently, not over leary. Manuel's fists were elevated over his head at arms' length, as though he would pound his adversary into powder. Lalla's right mauley was doubled up to his right ear, whilst his left, stiff and straight, pointed smack at his opponent's naval depôt. In these attitudes they stood for some seconds, and bespattered each other's relatives with dreadful abuse, till, roused by an indelicate allusion to his mother, the cook let fall his fists whack on the Mussaulchee's cannister, and down he went. Shouts of Sha-bash for the Bawurchee !'

"2. Lalla, without waiting for useless sparring, rushed in, striking right and left, and missing all, and dashing his head into the pit of Manuel's granary, who instantly favored Mussaulchee with the whole of its curious contents, and fell.

"Lalla stood up quite fresh, and Manuel faint and puking; the former again made his rush, but the other, though weakly, was wary, and, seizing him by the right ear with one hand, continued to shove the thumb of the other into the only ogle in Lalla's unfortunate phiz, who, in great agony, fastened his teeth in Manuel's ear, and brought him down.

"4. Lalla came to the scratch bellowing and blind, Manuel still catting and crafty; but before Lalla's sight would enable him to see the blow, the cook's foot fell dab on his ivories, which rattled like the loose keys of a harpsichord. He's loze all his tooths !' cried a Parsheeman. 'That dam lie,' said a Senor, 'he not lose all, him only knockee out two!" Another dig on his rice-grinders settled the round by a struggle on the soft rocks.

"5. Manuel's friends had now whispered him to try Lalla's early mode of skirmishing, by ramming his pimple into Lalla's bowel-box, which manoeuvre he accordingly attempted to put into practice; but, as his opponent happened also to do the same, their brain-pots came together with a shock that sent both staggering and stunned down to mother

muttee.

"6th, and last. Both seemed bothered; the Mussaulchee bled at the nose and mouth, and the cook looked like a tiger cat; and seizing hold of Lalla's lean legs, he lifted him from

the ground, and threw him over his shoulders; but Lalla, fixing on the softest and lowest part of his back, bit him there till his teeth met. Manuel roared out with pain, and retaliated on the Mussaulchee's calfless limbs; both in agony rolled on the ground, keeping their holds like bull dogs, till Manuel's friends rushed in to part them, and Lalla's partizans attempted to prevent any interference; so a general row took place, blows resounded, stones flew about, and sticks rattled against the bones of the skirmishers, till, after much bloodshed and more bruises, both parties separated, each carrying off their champion as the conqueror, and each side, of course, claiming the victory.

"REMARKS.-In this fight, the first of the kind ever recorded in Indian annals, it was flesh and bandy-leg against bones and a pewter-eye; both men were more bit than beat, and we trust that the very respectable native amateurs of this science, who patronized this battle, will endeavour to make their fighters make, in future, more use of their knuckles and less of their grinders. Manuel went home and soon got beastly drunk with arrack, while Lalla, not satisfied with his beating, banged himself a la sortee.

66 Poona, Oct. 17, 1829."

ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS.

From an interesting volume, recently published, entitled, "Gleanings of Natural History," by E. Jessop, esq., the following pleasing extracts have been taken z—

Larks' Claws." The lark makes its nest generally in grass fields, where it is liable to be injured either by cattle grazing over it, or by the mower. In case of alarm, from either these or other causes, the parent birds remove their eggs, by means of their long claws, to a place of greater security; and this transportation I have observed to be effected in a very short space of time. By placing a lark's egg, which is rather large in proportion to the size of the bird, in the foot, and then drawing the claws over it, you will perceive that they are of sufficient length to secure the egg firmly; and by this means the bird is enabled to convey its eggs to another place, where she can sit upon and hatch them."

Sagacity of an Elephant." I was one day feeding the poor elephant (who was so barbarously put to death at Exeter Change) with potatoes, which he took out of my hand. One of them, a round one, fell on the floor, just out of the reach of his proboscis. He leaned against his wooden bar, put out his trunk, and could just touch the potato, but could not pick it up. After several ineffectual efforts, he at last blew the potato against the opposite wall with sufficient force to make it rebound; and he then, without difficulty, secured it."

Bees." A large brown slug made its way into a glass hive, where the operations of the

bees could be distinctly seen. Having killed the slug, and finding that they were unable to get it out of the hive, they covered it over with the thick resinous substance called propolis, and thus prevented its becoming a nuisance to the colony. Into the same hive one of the common brown-shelled snails also gained admittance. Instead of embedding it in propolis, the bees contented themselves with fixing it to the bottom of the hive, by plastering the edge with that substance. I have now in my possession a regular fortification made of propolis, which one of my stocks of bees placed at the entrance of their hive, to enable them the better to protect themselves from the attacks of wasps. By means of this fortification, a few bees could effectually guard the entrance, by lessening the space of admis sion, which I had neglected to do for them."

Snail-shells." Having frequently observed some broken snail-shells near two projecting pebbles on a gravel-walk, which had a hollow between them, I endeavoured to discover the occasion of their being brought to that situation. At last I saw a thrush fly to the spot with a snail-shell in his mouth, which he placed between the two stones, and hammered at it with his beak till he had broken it, and was then able to feed on its contents. The bird must have discovered that he could not apply his beak with sufficient force to break the shell while it was rolling about, and he therefore found out and made use of a spot which would keep the shell in one position. I do not know whether Mr. M'Adam has ever observed the same circumstance, but his ingenious contrivance (if it is his) of confining stones in a sort of hoop while they are being broken is somewhat similar to that of the thrush."

Aquatic Hen.-"A hen, who had reared three broods of ducks in three successive years, became habituated to their taking to the water, and would fly to a large stone in the middle of the pond, and patiently and quietly watch her brood as they swam about it. The fourth year she hatched her own eggs; and, finding that her chickens did not take to the water as the ducklings had done, she flew to the stone in the pond, and called them to her with the utmost eagerness. This recollection of the habits of her former charge, though it had taken place a year before, is not a little curious."

A Swan's "First Love."-A pair of Swans had been inseparable companions for three years, during which time they had reared three broods of cygnets. Last autumn the male was killed, and since that time the female has separated herself from all society with her own species; and, though at the time I am writing (the end of March) the breeding season for swans is far advanced, she remains in the same state of seclusion, resisting the addresses of a male swan who has been making advances towards forming an acquaintance with her, either driving him away, or flying

from him whenever he comes near her. How long she will continue in her present state of widowhood I know not, but at present it is quite evident that she has not forgotten her former partner."

Affection of Pigeons.-"A man, set to watch a field of peas which had been much preyed upon by pigeons, shot an old cock pigeon who had long been an inhabitant of the farm. His mate, around whom he had for many a year cooed, and nourished from his own crop, and assisted in rearing numerous young ones, immediately settled on the ground by his side, and showed her grief in the most expressive manner. The labourer took up the dead bird and tied it to a short stake, thinking that it would frighten away the other depredators. In this situation, however, his partner did not forsake him, but continued, day after day, walking slowly round the stick. The kind-hearted wife of the bailiff of the farm at last heard of the circumstance, and immediately went to afford what relief she could to the poor bird. She told me that, on arriving at the spot, she found the hen bird much exhausted, and that she had made a circular beaten track round the dead pigeon, making now and then a little spring towards him. On the removal of the dead bird, the hen returned to the dove-cot."

Sagacity of Dogs." He informed me that a friend of bis, an officer in the 44th regiment, who had occasion, when in Paris, to pass one of the bridges across the Seine, had his boots, which had been previously well polished, dirtied by a poodle dog rubbing against them. He in consequence went to a man who was stationed on the bridge and had them cleaned. The same circumstance having occurred more than once, his curiosity was excited, and he watched the dog. He saw him roll himself in the mud of the river, and then watch for a person with well polished boots, against which he contrived to rub himself. Finding that the shoe-black was the owner of the dog, he taxed him with the artifice; and after a little hesitation he confessed that he had taught the dog the trick in order to procure customers for himself. The officer, being much struck with the dog's sagacity, purchaced him at a high price, and brought him to England. He kept him tied up in London some time, and then released him. The dog remained with him a a day or two, and then made his escape. A fortnight afterwards he was found with his former master pursuing his old trade on the bridge.

"A friend of mine had a poodle-dog possessed of more than ordinary sagacity, but he was, however, under little command. In order to keep him in better order, my friend purchased a small whip, with which he corrected the dog once or twice during a walk. On his return the whip was put on a table in the hall, and the next morning it was missing. It was soon afterwards found concealed in an

On

out-building, and again made use of in cor. recting the dog. It was, however, again lost, but found hidden in another place. watching the dog, who was suspected of being the culprit, he was seen to take the whip from the hall table, and run away with it, in order again to hide it. The late James Cumming, esq., was the owner of the dog, and related this anecdote to me.

"A gentleman, a good shot, lent a favorite old pointer to a friend, who had not much to accuse himself of in the slaughter of partridges, however much he might have frightened them. After ineffectually firing at some birds which the old pointer had found for him, the dog turned away in apparent disgust, went home, and never could be persuaded to accompany the same person afterwards."

Cockney Bee-hive." I hear of a hive of bees on the top of a house in the middle of Holborn, which is doing very well. The circumstance of bees finding their way home through the thick smoke, fogs, and vapours of the metropolis, seems to prove that their course is not directed by sight, but by some still unexplained instinct."

THE BUNCH OF FIVES instead of KNIVES! Or, leave off when you like!

When wars assail a nation's peaceful soil-
Bella, horrida bella-dread turmoil-
The clang of arms-the soldier's temper'd steel,
Dimm'd with ensanguin'd freemen's strife-appeal
To the best feelings of the human breast-
Tho' Glory smiles upon the hero's crest,
Sorrow sits mournful at the fierce array,
And Pity, weeping, gazes at the fray.

Not so when fistic heroes cast the tile
Into the space Toм OL-, the clever file,
Has stak'd and rop'd, and made for boxer's fit,
Where war, most doubtful, is but hit for hit.

What tho' one peeper lose its twinkling light,
As sometimes 'twill!-the man may be "all right,"
If t'other do but twig, with leary stare,
The bustling movements of the fives a pair
That, right and left, essay to grass him flat,
Or floor him, like an all-work maid's door-mat.

What tho' a snifter, with a Roman curve,
Should feel how sensitive th' olfactory nerve,
And show'r, in crimson streams, the claret down,
Ne'er will it daunt one boxer of renown.

What tho' each tier of tombstones they allow
To totter on their graves (gums) from rattling blow,
And make their putt'rers mum-the fist can tell
A tale upon the outworks just as well
For glory, as if every grinder fast
In its mould was fix'd, by Nature cast.

The glory of our land, our boasted pride
(Although the squeamish Frenchman may deride)
Is boldly to stand up, with watchful eye,
And, man to man oppos'd, contend for victory.
Then are the tears of SORROW all "my eye
And Betty" too-they flow when heroes die-
When blades unsheath'd the light of day let in,
Not when strife's deathless end-as they begin-

Printed for Thomas Tegg, Cheapside, by J. Haddon, Castle Street, Finsbury.

DAFFY.

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NINETEEN SUBSCRIBERS.

THE above gay meeting of the Racing Swells,' not only put new life' into the inhabitants of St. Albans; but also "put some money into their plates," in order, as that gentlemanly sort of man, Jack Scroggins, would have expressed himself, to make the "wisit pleasant." On Thursday, March 8, 1832, the venerable town of St. Albans exhibited a lively scene of bustle and confusion, in consequence of the great interest excited by the above STEEPLE CHASE, for miles round the country. Lots of the right sort of folks were present, who were worth waiting upon by the hosts of the different inns; a sprinkling of the upper part of the Fancy also showed their smiling faces upon this oc

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Bore the meed of his prowess triumphant away.

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