The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-16 00:00:00

MR. PIPS HIS DIARY.

(From Punch.)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1849.—Finding Fault with
my W ife, for that she do not use enough Exercise ;
whence her continual Headach, and Faddell, the
'Potticary his Bill of 51. She replying that I would
never take her out, I said I would whenever she liked ;
whereupon, we agreed to go a Walk forthwith, and
my Wife did propose Regent Street. So we thither,
pleasing ourselves with observing the Passers-by
and the Carriages, though their Number do now
begin to diminish, and the streets do daily blaze less
and less with fin• Ladies and flaming Liveries.
Going by Lindsey and ,Woolsey's, my Wife's eye
taken with a Scarf in the Window, and would stop to
look at it with a crowd of other women gazing at the
Finery, which Mr. Skitt do call Baits, and a Draper's
Shop a Lady-Trap. Presently she recollected that
she wanted a Collar; so we into the Shop, where
some sixty or eighty Ladies sitting before the Coun-
ters, examining the wares, busy as Blue-Bottle Flies
at a Sugar Cask. Behind the Counters the Shopmen
and Assistants, showing off the Goods, and them-
selves also, with mighty dainty Airs, every one of
them almost, Narcissus his Image. But I. fear me
they owe their pale delicate Looks and Languid Ways
in part to the Want of sufficient Air and Exercise ;
which is a sad Consideration. One of these dapper
young Sirs did help my wife to her Collar, cost
3s. 6d ; when she thought she had better get another
while about it, cost 3s. 6d. more. Then, says he
in his soft condoling Voice, " What is the next
Article ?" as though taking for granted that
another was wanted—which was too true. For
hereupon, my Wife bethought her of lacking some
Lace Cuffs, four pair : cost 12s. " And now, Mem,"
(meaning Madam), says the young Fellow with a
Simper, " allow me to show you a Love of a Robe, a
Barege, Double Glace, brocaded in the Flouncings,
and reduced to Twenty-one-and-Six from Forty-
five." But she professed that she needed it not :
whereat I was glad ; when he did tell her he would do
it at One-and-Four less : and she then saying that it
was indeed a Bargain, which I find is a Woman's
Word for anything cheap whether wanted or no, I let
her have it : cost 1/. Os. 2J. But, to be sure, the Pat-
tern was pretty, and my Wife being well-dressed do
please my Taste, and also increase my Consequence
and Dignity. The Robe bought, it comes into her
Head that she could not do without a new Shawl to
match it, blue and scarlet, cost 21. 25., but will look
mighty fine, and, I hope, last. Here I thought
to walk her at once bodily away ; but seeing a
stout middle-aged Gentleman doing the very thing,
and how mean it looked, did forbear ; and in
the Meanwhile the Shopman did beg, as he
said, to tempt her with a superior Assortment
of Ribbons. She rummaging over this Frippery, I
to gaze about the Shop, and with Fellow• Feeling
did mark an unhappy small Boy, while his Mother
was comparing some three-score different Pieces of
Satin, perched on a Stool, out of Patience. My Wife
would have ss. worth of Ribbons, and here I hoped
would make an end; but the shopman did exhibit to her
some Silk Stockings ; and I telling her they were un-
necessary, she declared that then she must wear
Boots, which she knows I utterly hate; and con-
cluded with buying half a Dozen Pair, cost 245. ,
with this my Martyrdom finished; and we away,
bowed out of the Shop with Conges by the smirk-
ing Shopwalker, rubbing his Hands and grinning, as
obsequious as could be ; and so Home ; I mighty
serious, having laid out 51. 10s. 2d.; and the next
Time I take out my Wife for a Walk, it shall be in
he Fields and not in Regent Street.

Lord. John Russell will leave London on Monday
the 20th inst., on a visit to her Majesty in Scotland.—
Scotsman

WEATIIER AND CROPS.—On Saturday evening
Edinburgh and vicinity was visited with a violent storm
of thunder and lightning, and so heavy did the rain fall,
that many supposed a waterspout had burst over us.
The storm seemed to have been general, and must have
seriously flattened the crops, particularly heavy wheat and
barley. Ever since the beginning of the present month
there has scarcely been a day in which thunder was not
heard, or on which rain did not fall, yet except on
Saturday the injury was partial and unworthy of notice.
Several fields of barley in favourable situations have
been cut within these two or three days, and various
farmers speak of commencing cutting in the beginning
of the week, but generally harvest will not take place
till about the end of the month. This day three
years (15th Aug.) did the potato disease manifest itself
in its greatest virulence—it seemed as if on that day the
pestilence passed over and destroyed that crop. This
year we would fain hope the country will be spared from
a similar visitation, though there are accounts or the
disease having appeared to a small extent. We havo not
heard of any symptoms of its appearance in this vicinity.
—Scotsman.

LIFE ASSURANCE IN FRANCE.—It is conceded on
all hands that the great extension of life assurance in
this country is one of the best signs of the times. Every
man that assures his life renders the state a service, since
the state is thereby saved the cost of keeping his family
when he is gone; besides, the man that assures his; life
is an enemy to tumult, since he must thereby lose all
ho had saved. No wonder, then, that the President of
the French Republic is desirous that a law should be
passed for " the institution of aids and insurances, so as
to insure to the laborious classes a refuge against the
, consequences of the suspension of works, of infirmities,
and of old age." In France life assurance is all but un-
known.—The Reporter and Assurance Chronicle,
FISHING WITH CORMORANTS.—On Friday week Mr.
Salvin, accompanied by Mr. Brockholes, Mr. Dillow, and
other friends, took the birds (tour in number) to the
Wyre, and continued the sport for several hours, but in
consequence of there being too many eels in that part of
the river where the fishing was carried on, the take of
trout or other kinds was only inconsiderable. On Satur-
, day the party fished the Calder stream, end on Tuesday
the Brock, when the success was of a much more marked
character, particularly on the latter day, the trout being
many of them of large size, and in excellent order for
table. In order to prevent the gratification of their glut-
tonous inclinations, and- to secure the fish which they
succeed in catching, a strap is placed round the lower
part of the throat of the cormorant,which
aegrec o
tbulk,hinders
butthe
swallowing of a fish of a tolerable
not of eels; and that is the reason why the sport cannot
be pursued with satisfaction where eels are found in any
considerable quantity. The birds appeared to bo only
imperb-ctly trained, artificial means having to be used to
induce them to fish, and to entice them to bring the prey
when caught, in order to its being disgorged from their
throat, down which they never fail to force it as far as
they possibly can. This want of more perfect training
to bring the fish to land after having caught them occa-
sions at times no little inconvenie,ce, and the risk of
s personaleb injury to the person who directs the sport, as he
seize
tgbeett obyw
tabdee
billintoto
sat
the :.
rautetrb,eamn, ho
din
bhuiss
needat temtput s t
ex-
ercise great caution and expertness, to avoid the savage
strokes and bites which they are so capable of inflicting.
—Preston Pilot.

There is something in the last hour of the day, if it
have been itself a happy one, which seems to concen-
trate all the pleasant things of the past. It is like a fin©
evening sky, calm and sweet, and full of rays, that are
all the rosier, because they are the last,—Eliza C'ook's
Journal,