"Is them good sassengers?" sneered a passer-by, as she eyed a sausage vender, at the last Croydon fair. "Is them very good sassangers?" "Yes, they is, yer impudent good-for-nuffin, you," exclaimed the offended merchant, "them is bootifool sassengers, and no mistake. Pray wot has sich as you to say agin my sassengers, I'd like to know?" "Oh! nothin', mar'm, nothin', only-it's a curious fact,but, wherever you do see sech a looking sassanger as that, you don't see no dogs, that's all."

The eccentric John Randolph, of Roanoke, the great American orator, was exceedingly attached to dogs. Once meeting with Mr. Monroe, a short time after his appointment to a high and responsible office, the conversation turned upon a project of law, then in contemplation in the state of Virginia, for laying a heavy tax upon dogs, with a view to protecting the breed of merino sheep. This project was advocated by Mr. Monroe, who was met by Randolph, with the apostrophe, "Oh Colonel! why would you tax dogs?" my dog always loves me. No sir, the dog is faithful, don't tax him, but tax man, Colonel-Tax man, he is perfidious.

Naturalists, who make a controversy of everything, and will scarcely even allow that" eggs is eggs," have found a fruitful theme in the kennel, which they have swept quite clean with their arguments. Discussing the origin of the dog, they are all abroad,—some asserting that he is an original, others that he is only a copy, a sort of "putty and snails, and other dogs' tails," a mongrel, a hybrid, a spurious hodge-podge of various ingredients, a glass of vapid water, whose only worth is in the quality of the mixture. In short, their opinions remind me of those put forth some time ago, concerning the poor little harmless whitebait, which I have heard" said and sung," as follows:

"The naturalists do much discuss,

And make a most terrible learned fuss,

And all to no purpose,-which is much wus,

About these same little whitebait.

Some say that they are salmon small,

'They're the fry of herrings !' others bawl,—

Some swear that they are no fish at all,

But only a species of-whitebait !'"

I say, then, that the origin of the dog is canine, and to this opinion I intend to adhere doggedly.

But, gentle reader,—my dear fellow,-you haven't the least idea of how your dog lives, or at least of the way in which his nature exists, therefore attend, and I will tell you the history of our "Smut."

Smut was born blind, (many biped puppies continue so through life, poor things!) Smut, I say, was born blind, and continued so,-until he could see.

Being well supplied from Nature's motherly fountain, where he

found"GENUINE NEW MILK SEVERAL TIMES A DAY," Smutty grew a-pace, until about the fifth month, when he began to shed his milk teeth; the milk shop then shut up, for want of trade, and Smutty having set up a commissariat on his account, cut a new set of grinders before he had been eight months in this wicked world of ours.

By the way, I will tell you, learnedly, how a dog's age may be pretty accurately ascertained by his mouth. In his eighth month he is tolerably well furnished, and from that date, until the age of two years, they are all perfectly white and smooth. About two, the canine teeth begin to grow yellowish about their base, near the gum, and the lateral incisor teeth immediately adjoining the canine on each side, lose the notch that when young may be observed on them. The above marks are incomplete until about the fourth year, and the animal's intermediate age may be pretty fairly determined by their greateror less degree of intensity. Between the fourth and fifth years the teeth become blunt, and lose their points, which natural bluntness may however be readily distinguished from accidental chipping, or breaking, by bones or otherwise, as will be often the case, particularly with such dogs as are fond of fetching and carrying. About the fifth or sixth year, the yellowness of the teeth extends to their entire body, the enamel becomes chipped and cracked in various places, and thenceforward the age is altogether, as the Yankees say, to be "guessed."

To return to our "Smut." The earlier periods of his life were taken up in playing with the children, who made him alternately a pillow, a baby, a horse, and a wheelbarrow,-this last object being obtained by holding up his hinder legs, and trundling him along until he tumbled head over heels. As he grew in years, however, a sporting spirit came over him, and by frequent practice, he became the most expert cat and rat killer in the three kingdoms; this, however, soon played the deuce with his "" canines," and his " incisors," and left his age a complete mystery to strangers.

Time, however, flew over all our heads, and soon it had a visible effect on the black "phisiog" of "Smut." A grey circle appeared around his eyes and nose; sores broke out in different parts of his body, he grew stiff, tranquil, deaf, and blind, and old age grew upon him fast, until he gradually sunk into his grassy grave to sleep; although I verily believe that his ghost nightly haunts our stable still, and hunts down gibbering shades of slaughtered rats, as in the happiest moments of his earthly life time.

Now for a bit more learning in conclusion.

The greyhound is the longest lived of all the dog tribe; having been frequently known to reach the age of twenty, and even twenty-five years. If a greyhound, however, has been much worked, and more especially if he has been entered too young, his period of existence will hardly extend to fifteen years.

Bull dogs, terriers, and other fighting dogs, whose occupations are of a very severe, distressing nature, become old at three, very old at five, and generally drop off about their fith or sixth year. Smut lived to complete his eleventh.

The following divisions comprise, I believe, every known variety of dog.

The English Mastiff
The Spanish Mastiff

Blood hound

Stag hound

Fox hound

Harrier

IV. FOWLING DOGS.
Russian Setter

Land Spaniel
Water Spaniel
Springer or Cocker
Great Water Dog

Beagle
Terrier

Otter hound
Turnspit.

Lesser Water Dog, or
Poodle

Lion Dog
Shock Dog
Maltese Dog.

V.-PASTORAL OR DOMESTIC DOGS.

The Iceland Dog
The Chinese Dog

The Newfoundland Dog
The Labrador Dog

The Russian Dog

The Pomeranian Dog
The Albanian Dog
The Dog of St. Bernard.

The Ban Dog

VI. MASTIFFS AND THEIR KIND.
The Dog of Thibet
The Bull Dog

There are about four sorts of cross-bred a great measure settled varieties, viz. :— The Bull Terrier

The Bull Mastitff

The Pug Dog.

dogs, which have become in

The Kangaroo Dog
The Lurcher.

perhaps be difficult to disLet us call them

And several dogs, whose origin it would cover, chiefly used as rug and lap-dogs.

IMPORTANT FEATURE IN THE GAME LAWS.

AT Branchley, a man named John Dovey appeared before the benchi of magistrates to an information laid by John Price, "for unlawfully setting snares with intent to take or kill

game."

John Price, gamekeeper to Mr. Bowman, stated that on Thursday he was crossing a corn-field, about the property of Mr. Smith, when he saw the prisoner looking over the field after snares; he went up and asked him what he was doing, when he gave him no answer; he then took him into custody, and upon searching him, he had found the snares now produced; he had found some of them previously in the fields of Mr. Smith.

The prisoner said his master (Mr. Smith) had given him orders to set the snares to destroy rabbits, which are so very numerous in that part of the country; his master was now present to testify the truth of his statement with regard to the snares; they had not sufficient power to kill game.

Mr. Smith here rose, and begged leave to assure the magistrates, that he did give orders to his servants and all his men to set suares to destroy all wild rabbits and other vermin; the lands were infested by them, so much so, that his men have found in the field thirty or forty nests of the young, and if not destroyed they would devastate the surrounding lands. He could prove by his books that the damage he sustained by rabbits and game was not less than a hundred a-year, which was rather too much to support other people's preserves, and he would not do it.

A solicitor stated that he appeared for Mr. Young, who was the lord of the manor, and had purchased the right of shooting over certain lands. By the 12th section of the Game act, no occupier of land of other person had the right of shooting or setting snares without leave of the lord of the manor; Mr. Smith has not got either, therefore, since he had taken the onus off the prisoner, he was the reponsible party, and was subject to certain penalties laid down for the protection of game, which would never be safe, if the practice of snaring was allowed under pretence of catching rabbits; and labourers, under the sanction of their masters (who were not sporting blades), might devastate preserves, &c., which had cost enormous sums and years to bring to maturity.

Mr. Smith remarked, that he had seen in several "sporting journals" that farmers and others possessing lands might destroy vermin and rabbits for the protection of their property without leave from the lord of the manor. He also quoted the "press," as a very good authority in his opinion; also an act made in the reign of George IV., that snares were legal instruments for the protection of property; he contended

that farmers had the right, and he should do it, without fear of being frightened by a parcel of gamekeepers. He had written to Mr. Young who took no notice of his letter because he asked what protect on there was for his corn, &c. He would now protect himself, as Mr. Young did not care for the farmers so long as he had his game preserves.

The bench advised Mr. Smith to shoot them, as a legal course to pursue. He must not set snares: it was hard to have one's property devastated, but the game laws must be protected.

The solicitor remarked that under the 33d section of the Act no landlord could authorise his servant to lay snares, as stated by Mr. Smith. It expressly prohibits them, as being unlawful weapons for the taking of game, and only used by poachers. He would rather the subject dropped, or he should be compelled to prove the character of the prisoner as a poacher. Mr. Young had no bad feeling towards Mr. Smith, whom he believed to be a gentleman highly respected. He should be happy to withdraw the information if Mr. Smith would rescind the order issued to his servants, which would set the matter at issue. Mr. Smith said the information was bad and not legal; it charged his servant with catching rabbits and called them game. He should think that would at once dismiss the case.

After a long discussion between the parties, Mr. Smith withdrew the order, but expressed his determination to call a meeting of the farmers, and adopt some mode to protect themselves against such devastations committed

NAUTICAL NOTICES.

ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON.

The General Meeting of the Members of this Club was held at the Club House, Cowes, on Friday, September 2, when M. J. Higgins, Esq., of the Charm, cutter, 73 tons, was duly elected a member, as well as Commander A. Slade, R.N.

ROYAL THAMES YATCH CLUB.

The Monthly Meeting of the above Club took place on Thursday Evening, September 1, but in consequence of there not being present the required number of members to form a meeting, the business of the evening was adjourned to Thursday, October 6.

The Closing Trip for the Season took place on Saturday, September 17, when several yachts belonging to the club assembled off Greenwich Hospital, and at 4 o'clock they got under weigh, and proceeded in company down the river to Erith, where they brought up for the night, and on the following morning set sail on their trip to various parts of the coast. DAVY DEADeye.

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