The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-07 00:00:00

MATRIMONY MADRAS.

(From the Lahore Chronicle, Nov. 26.)
The Madras 7imes ex plains the manner in which
soldiers in the army of that Presidency select their
brides:—" Our readers are aware that in two most
excellent institutions, orphan girls of European
and mixed descent are tended and trained up
to become helpmates for our brave soldiers.
Besides the indispensable three R's,' they are
taught to sew, and to wash, and to bake, and cook,
and that most rare of feminine accomplishments—
how to nurse. There is always, we believe, a select
stock of girls on hand qualified and willing to take
on them vows of matrimony at the shortest notice.
Suddenly the hour of proposal comes, and also the
man. John Smith, a stalwart gunner, or Corporal
Brown of the dragoons, obtains permission from his
commanding officer to marry, and with testimonials
of good conduct in his hand, he presents himself
before the superintendent of the asylum, and inti-
mates his connubial purpose. The arrangements
now adopted to pair off the gunner or dragoon are
not quite the same as in days of yore. The mar-
riageable maidens are no longer trotted round the
compound, or drawn up in line before the perplexed
eyes of the husband elect. The process of inspection
and selection is conducted with a little more of the
privacy conventionally due to ante-nuptial negoti-
ations. Smith or Brown is seated in a room wit h
the superintendent,who sends a summons for Martha.
With a wise commercial reserve the superintendent
keeps back the most tempting articles until an en-
deavour has first been made to get off the oldest and
least saleable part of the stock. Martha very likely
is a lank damsel, something like Kelly's monument
of consumption, and unless the customer be not at
all particular,' an objection is made—the reverse of
the objection urged by Mantilini to the two coun-
tesses, who had no outlines at all :" Martha' has
too much outline, is all outline in fact. The dra-
goon would like the outline better filled in, so Jane'
obeys the next call, who is plump but squab. The
military sense of correct dressing is offended by the
idea of a wife who only reaches to the hips of her
husband, so a desire is faintly murmured to see an-
other. A third appears who hits the juste milieu of
proportions, and Smith smiles a gratified assent,
communicating his approval to the superintendent
in the unromantic phrase, that one will That
one' is next consulted, who seldom, if ever, has any
objection to offer. The approved maiden whispers
consent, and the bargain is ratified on the spot, not
in the customary pleasant manner—for amorous
blandishments the superintendent could on no ac-
count permit—but possibly by Smith offering his
extemporary fiancee a rupee' to get summit to please
herself.' The only other form necessary is to obtain
the sanction of the directors and to publish the
banns." We understand that the same system pre-
vailed at Kidderpore lower asylum, with this dif-
ference that the candidate for matrimony being
seated by the side of the matron, the young ladies
came into the room singly at one door, and unless
then and there chosen by the wife-hunter, they
immediately retired by the opposite door, and once
out of the room, it was contrary to rule to call any
lady back on the plea that she was preferred to
those who followed. The old story of picking up a
crooked stick in the forest will occur to the intelli-
gent reader as conveying the same moral.

MILDNESS OE THE WEATHER.—A correspondent
writes that a red admiral butterfly (vanessa atalanta) was
seen sporting about in the neighbourhood of Staines on
Christmas-day last. The fact of a butterfly basking in a
Christmas sun is unprecedented.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—HoIIoway's Ointment and Pills.—
Severe Pains.—Squally and rainy weather gives rise to
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exerts its cooling and soothing properties upon the inflamed
and irritated muscles and nerves. Holloway's Pills should
be taken at the same time; they greatly assist,
by assuag-
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nurtured by disease. Sufferers from gout, rheumatism, tic
doloreux, muscular aches and nervous pains may rely
upon the above treatment, and may with confidence fol-
low the instructions folded round every packet of the
medicines,