The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1837-04-12

bent, as that of showing how little vi. they
possess; and this remark applies to every
grade of intellect, from the statesman to the
Ounce.
On the first day of the current mouth, we
bethought ourselves Of something for pas
ume-someihing 10 change the dull, mono
tonous, matter-Oi-fact routine of our editor
iai pilgrimage. Accordingly We gave our
readers an article that we intended mainly
Tor sober ridicule upon the prevailing cre-
duliiies OF the day-and partially, we con-
icss' Tor the purpose OF gratifying our own
sporIiVe prepensitles at the expense Of those
VINO have been IN the habit of believing at
least twice MS much as they ought of what
they read IN the newspapers. 1t was the
account OF the arrival of two Giraffes, and
modest proportion Of other animals, from
the Cape of Good Hope, and their gratui-
tous exhibition at No. 9S Union street.
There were several items in this account
calculated, as We thought, stagger the faith
of credulity itself-interspersed, it is true,
with other fictions, which had nothing on
the face of them to discoun,enance proba-
bility. The fact that the article was put
forth on April Fool Day." we thoug ght
would be a sufficient guard against any ex-
cess of curiosity. Judge, then, of our sur
prise, on learning that from five to ten thou
sand people visited Union street mot No.
9S, for there are only about seventy five
numbers in that street,) on that day, for
the purpose OF seeing-a hoax Our friend
Cabot, who keeps Gallery of Fine Arts"
in that street-but whose whereabouts did
not occur to US at the time we penned the
article-was beset from morning till night
with applications for free admission to
bis exhibition. Even a brace of editors, if
we are rightly informed, dropped the very
quilts with which they had previously par
ticipated in the indecent hoax respecting
Graham's lecture, took their walking
canes" and locomoted to Union street,
where they formed the only real natural Gu
riosities seen there on that day.
Here We expected the hoax would stop
but not So The New York papers, whose
editors invariably make the most of every
item of news, seized grcedi!y upon the ar
ticle, aud "went the entire animal" The
Journal of Commerce published it in par
aliel columns with n long editorial article
| upon the currency-and it really puzzles
us to tell which is the greater hoax of the
two; while the sagacious Major Noah Of
the Evening Star, (who has been in the
political field long enough, as we should
think, not, to be cheated by the arch de-
ceiver himself) not only swallowed the
whole dose-Giraffees, Lion, Mountains Of
the Moon and ail--bui fell into n rhapsody
on the sublime results of Yankee enterprise
/ He even grows sentimental on the subject,
and expresses hope that a more minute
account of this expedition will be given, aud
that he shall have the satisfaction of seeing
the animals All, Major, you will grow
great deal older before you see II lion
nineteen feet and a half long!
! Z. S. Since the above was in type, we
hnd by the Star of "Wednesday that the
Major has sme!t out the rat. With his ac-
custcmed philosophy, he comforts himself
/ in tbt reflection that his neighbors have
been hoaxed as well as himself There is
a great deal Of spice in that dish Of comfort
| Major,