Year: 1861

A correspondent of the London,Times who de scribes himself as |" an easy going young man who thinks pennyworth of comfort cheap a three half pence, and am not, therefore, extreme to mark what is done amiss," writes an amusing communication upon the habits and manners O servants in London. We quote Q few para graphs:

 WHY THEY LEFT HfM.

 l Sometimes, l admit, must be to blame, as on late occasion, when 8 groom left me without assigning any reason. I afterwards understood that he told his successor that " the place was well enough, but master was so plaguey dull in the buggy he couldn't stand it' It is painful | for me to own that I am not always up to the intelligent exigencies of the position, vet not wthstanding this drawback, my servants, as a rule, remain with me longer than with my neigh bors.

 AN ADVERTISING BUTLER.

 selected the most promising advertisements in your columns, and wrote to appoint the adver tisers to meet me in town. The first that called was butler. He was Q man of some personal appearance, which he evidently thought it his first duty to cultivate. On being ushered into the room he said he had embraced the earliest opportunity of obeying my summons" per ccived at once like Agag, he must be approach ed delicately, and should have felt some hesita- tion how to catechize 50 refined parsonage but that soon found the question was not whether I should engage him, but whether he would en. gage me. Did he pay the bills? Had he the entire charge of the cellar, or was there a Sanc. tune sauctoruns of which alone keep the key My answers were not satisfactory. Had I a groom of the chambers? No. In such case he concluded I had valet? supposed his scrutiny of my dress had not encouraged any ex. agggerated notion of the value of my "e.cuuie, for. on my replying that the butler was the only man out of livery, and oficiated as my valet l saw was doomed man. For forms sake, how ever, he kindly consented to give me one more trial, and inquired whether under these circum- stances it would be expected of him to bring tea and coffee after dinner. told him that I re- gretted that such would be the case, and he must, indeed, be prepared for any emergency That I did not think it likely that I should ever ask him to make the fourth in quadrille, but that he woud in my house, be expected to do every thing he was told, except feed the pigs. "That," said l, mildly, I do myself" On looking up to see the effect of my last observation, he was dis appearing the doorw y.

 A FEMALE APPLICANT.

 The next applicant was cook and housekeep- CT. She was pleased slightly to touch on her autobiography, just sufficient to inform ma that she had always lived in the best fAmilies,' and then, like the butler proceeded to ascertain whether should suit her Her first question, also, was: Did she pay the bills? Did come to town every year? When in the country did the farm supply the house, and did I kill one have " hampers of fruit and vegetables up regu- lar, which was mostly very ill-convenient r. When my examination was at and end I said, Mrs. Jones you were only three months at your last place, nine at the previous one eleven at the one before that. It seems to me these were ra- thcr short periods" "Ohrs said she, " they arc such dooses of missus; but in course your lady Is d real lady and keep herselft to herself'

 BAD STATE OF AFFAIRS.

 The whole system of service, as at present un- derstood in England, is rotten at the core.- And all play and pay" is the cry, and "meat meals five times a day, and port and sherry kit chen wine" the only maxim of the servants hall.

 Ap,oprs of these five meals, I am satisfied there must be some curiously digestive property in plush, else how is it that "Jeames' having breaktasted at half-past eight, and being about to dine at one, requires luncheon at eleven ?- How is it that having dined at ono, if you order the carriage at two to drive to neighbor mile off, he is invariably asked whether he will have anything? as invariably answers "Well, don't care if do,' and straightway disappears into the the servants hall to browse upon buffalo and drink any number of horns of ale? You or I could not so overtax our digestive organs. Las so boy running wild at blow, clothe him in liy- cry, and at the end of week ask him to pump :; he will tell you it is not his place. He is no newer of wood or drawer of water When the governess comes back from her short holiday will Jeames de Ia Pluche condes end to take up 2 her little bonnet box. which weighs few ounces? Certainly not It is really time some remedy were applied, or VIC shall soon be worse off than the emigrant on his way to the backwoods who, On seeing his loaded wagon standing out in the rain, suggested to his newly engaged help" that it had better be drawn under shelter, and receiv- cd for answer. Well, I guess It had oughter,- least ways l should pull it in if it was mine"