New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-11-04
rue OF A TRAVELLING PHYSICIAN.

RE in the EdlnouTgH Resie" Si'
travelling Physician. The English physician
!, seems had the usual i'll luck in his profession
'.unon 10 all in overstocked England. After
s.,ssr;nr various caprices Of fortune we find him
:. leor,h installed physician to Prince Pat
po.;s He gives an humorous account of his
,n,,loyer, who it seems was an easy, lazy, good
..,,,sd bon cicant He would arise in the morn
at 10 or II O'Clock and breakfast, when ii he
nd nothing in particular to do, he would delibe-
r.,ev undress again and go to bed and sleep
sonndy until dinner. His cook of course was
thief in his profession, and had in turn such pro-
found respect for the gastronomic qualities Of his
master that he was accustomed to say, 90 Mon
.:,ur le Prince est eSscntiellement cuisinier.'
This cook in addition to his other qualities, was
an inyeterate thief and pluckcd his good natu-cd
master without mercy. 1t is evident two such
men could not do without each other. The artist
never offended the nice palate Of his master, and
The master never complained of the populations
~ mis- servant On one occasion, however, the
Prince lprobably from having nothing else to do
suddenly called his astonished cusinier to account
FIR his dishonesty. The circumstance IS thus
humorous related
.He had attended several courses Of chcmis-
,-.. and was always busy in inquiry. He observ-
ID to me once, indeed, with great emphasis, that
with respect to cooks and physicians it might be
said truly, that their education was never finish
Cd Though the man was Gascon, there were
some rood points in his character. He was hon
Iisbo
"Thc Prince, once shut up with him in his
carriage, and proceeding gloomily along the road
which leads to Smoensko, (soon after the terln-
nation of the campaign which reduced that city
to ashes,) wishing doubt to change his tram of
ideas, burst like torrent upon his unsuspcctlng
artist with the emphatic demand Why DO you
rob Enc so?' The poor astounded cook, who was
at the very moment probably devlslng some plan
of pecuaton, to make up Tor the time lost IN
long, and for him Improbable, journey of some
weeks duration, replied in an agltated tone, SIR
sir, | don't rob you, [ only-only-
make the usual profits of my Stop said
the Prince, am not angry with you: know
that you rob me but wish to make an arrange
ment with you. Why do you oft !? | give you
a handsome salary, you have many perquisltes,
and what need have you of more Now be can
did, and speak the truth boldly: you know that
cannot do without you.
"There is nothing like making an appeal to a
mans feelings: it is by far the best way OF at
lacking him. The cook felt the full power of
the concluding part of the sentence-'I cannot
do without you
''Why, sir, | admit that yours is an excellent
situation; but you know, sir, that it is not equal
to nv expenses. l like society-to treat my
friends handsomely. | am addicted to play
enfn j'ai une petite maitresse: and you must be
aware, Prince, that all these things considered,
your wages not sufficient
"'Good said the Prince: this is precisely
the point to which hoped to bring you. Tell
me how much this costs you over and above what
| give you and | will make up the difference;
only do not rob me-
''The cook laid his hand upon his heart for
minute, and looking with an affectionate, and
even grateful expression towards his master, re-
piled in a suppressed sigh. Non. monseigneur:
ie prtfere de uouS uoler.' Having said this he
burst into tears, and hid his face in a cotton
handkerchief The Prince, seeing his distress,
clappcd him upon the shoulder, and encouraged
him by saying, 'Bien, rnon cher, tres bien, COM
me tn lie uoudras.' Vol ii. P. ll2.
We skip over the rest of his sojourn in Paris
his travels through Poland, and take him up again
in St. Petersburg. The following is a capital
description Of winters night IN that northern
city:
owe understand the meaning of the word
darkness in this country: and | would neverthe-
less, prefer obscurcnesS, as word of more accu-
rate signification Candles are lit up at half past
two p NJ, and one cannot shave by daylight at ten
A. NJ in the mouth of November; and yet no in
habitant OF Petersburg can appreciate the TERMS
dark as ptch,'-'l could not distinguish my
horses S. couln not sec my hand, all
terms and not exaggerated Ones expressive of the
darkness of night in England. AT no season,
not even on the shortest days, docs such darkness
prevail. The ground, covered by a bed of snow,
reflects its spangled light: the clouds arc high
above, and few III number: the stars shine bright
III the armament 1t is true that this halfob-
scure serves for no purpose, as far as the econo-
my of artificial light is concerned; but it is
equally true that here we do not appreciate the
meaning of utter darkness.
"The moon, the moon.-the light OF Sylvia,
how she streams upon US for ten successive hours,
and mischicvousy bites of our noses in the win
ter months for cold apd moonlight are then IN
separabe. He who hath not seen ST. Petersburg
bymoonlight hath something yet see. Yes,itis
when the moon is seen climbing over its domes
aud minarc's, that one is reconcied to the idea
of deserted city. 1t is this separation of the
inanimate from the animate which gives it this
peculiar interest. Dazzling as it may appear, lit
up by the beams Of meridian sun, its rnagnif-
cence then involves the idea Of its population;
but this in no wise TALES with the magnitude of
its buildings, so that the admiration of the gran
deur Of the one is checked by the insignifcance
of the other. But when, in the dead of night,
when all may be supposed to be aslecp-when the
mind may Imagine that the MONDAY hustle shall