"Ay, ay, my own ALFONSO,' said the maiden

"Kye! eye!' laughed the poodle.

"Come to my arms, then, POLLYSERAPHINA thou art mine! Know that the craven form of HUGO DE CLAM lies weltering in the brandy and water which flowed from him, when I, in self-defence, ran this my trusty weapon through his body,' and from beneath his doublet he drew a sanguinary tooth-pick of the best Damascus quill.' 'The two lovers

The 'particulars' in our next!

NOTHING could be happier than the term 'jerky-mind,' by the Breakfast-Table Autocrat. How many such 'minds' have we encountered! Never listeners to other guests at the table; forgetful that conversation is a property in common, from which no man has a right to eject his neighbor; (see BLACKSTONE, CHITTY, HILL'S Reports, SALTONSTALL'S City Hall Pandects, et al.;) always injecting 'remarks,' and interpolating 'observations'- and always, 'each and every,' at the wrong place: saying nothing of interest themselves, and only remarkable for preventing others from imitating their bad example. Such an one,' said a friend to us in the sanctum the other day, 'I met recently, at the house of a friend. There was a self-possessed, observant, quiet, gentlemanlike English friend of our host at the dinner. A 'jerky-minded' person present, as the foreign guest 'took his eye and threw it around the table,' arrested his attention. Conversation waxed lively: polemical, political, artistic, and literary themes were successively broached. At length, in the 'last division,' something was said of CHARLES LAMB, of whom nothing could be said of his own that was not good, and nothing of him, by any body, that was not good also. I knew LAMB in the India-House,' modestly remarked our English friend, (who, although an Englishman, had been an American' in our metropolis for twenty-six years, and possessed not a particle of English prejudice ;) 'my brother was in the same establishment, and 'Did you ever hear,' said 'JERKY,'' that remark of his about my brother was in the India-House: and as we were both, in common with every lover of good things in the literary journals of London, great admirers of the papers of 'ELIA,' at that time the delight of the town. One day my brother said 'Pardon but did you ever see that awful sharp thing LAMB one day observed, when he was going' 'I was going on to observe, that one day my brother said: 'D'ye know that the veritable ELIA is with us?—has a desk there?— salary, and all that? I know him: come in to-morrow, and you shall see him.' The next day I called, and found 'LAMB was a cur'ous fellow; d'you recollect the man's saying to him one day, 'LAMB,' says he, 'what was that that you said abeöut that fat Englishman that came up to you, and said that he wanted ——' 'I called (as I was about saying when I was interrupted) the next day, about nine o'clock in the morning. My brother had stepped out on some business connected with his department of the house. Mr. LAMB was the head 'Error Clerk,' I believe: at all events, he was in that division of the clerical duties of the India-House. I opened the little low pew-door of the inclosure which contained his desk, being determined to introduce myself: so I walked up to him, and, hat in hand, said, with a respectful bow: 'Mr. CHARLES LAMB, I believe?' 'Y-e-e-s,' said LAMB slowly, feeling and coaxing at the same time his short, thin, gray whiskers: 'y-e-e-s, they call

'As I was saying,

me LAMB, yet, but I am old enough to be a sheep!' Perfectly LAMB-like was that reply, and it had the effect to silence the interruptions of the 'JERKY MIND' whenever afterward, during the evening, the quiet, well-bred narrator had occasion to relate an anecdote, or otherwise endeavor to do his part toward the enjoyment of the assembled company. HERE is a 'side-blast' from the 'GRATE-BLOWER' which will well repay perusal : 'You know, dear KNICK, that 'Philadelphia Wistar Parties' are famous. 'Good things' are thereat enjoyed, gastronomically and intellectually, and many a reputation for wit has had its nucleus at the well-spread table of ‘one of the Faculty.' Terrapin and champagne have a wonderful power of tickling the pineal gland, which is (or is not) the seat of wit.

'Well, I took HANKER to a Wistar 'Party' last Saturday evening, and one of the first men we stumbled over in the dressing-room, was Professor M contemporary and intimate of the celebrated Doctor CHAPMAN, of side-splitting

memory.

a

''PHYPPS,' said the Professor, after HANKER's introduction, I read the KNICKERBOCKER; you understand? Ergo! I know the 'Grate-Blower;' and I saw friend CLARK'S introductory anecdote of my old friend CHAPMAN. It was n't one of his worst, but I'll tell you another quite as good, which has never been 'prented,' and with which you may ROLAND' L. G. C. in return for his 'OLIVER.' Videlicit.

'The old Doctor had a friend from the provinces, (Lycoming County, probably,) in town for a day, and was showing him the lions. At ten minutes after twelve he reached the Mint, and finding the doors closed, pulled the bell. The porter opened one valve: 'I wish to show my friend the engine,' said the Doctor.

"Too late,' growled CERBERUS. 'Doors close at twelve.'

"But,' urged Doctor CHAPMAN, 'my friend leaves this evening, and I must take him through here before he goes.'

"Can't help it!' returned CERB. sturdily. 'Rules is positive; can't let nobody in after twelve!' and he 'made a motion' to shut the door in the gentleman's face. 'The Doctor was slightly riled; putting his foot against the oak panel, 'Stop!' said he with dignity. 'Do you know who I am?'

''No, Sir!' grumbled guardy, 'nor I don't care; you can't git in now.' "See here, you rascal!' cried CHAPMAN, in a voice of concentrated indignation: 'none of your Mint sauce!!'

''Ha! ha! ha!' roared HANKER: 'what did the porter say to that?'

"He threatened to lam (b) him,' replied a base voice behind us. We turned, and there stood TURKLE.'

Look out for 'Turkle's Dinner!' NEVER, Since our unanimous election, eighteen years ago, as a member of the St. NICHOLAS Society, at the nomination of Mr. WASHINGTON IRVING, have we so desired to be with the 'Sons' of that now renowned and always enjoyable 'institution,' as on the occasion of their recent Festival, on the seventh of December, at the Saint NICHOLAS Hotel. We longed to assemble and confabulate again with our brother-STEWARDS of past years, with whom, in due yearly succession, we were wont to have such pleasant associations. We desired to see once more in the chair our FIRST PRESIDENT, Hon. GULIAN C. VERPLANCK, now newly restored to an office, which, worthily as it has been filled since his 'first term,' has never been more worthily or felicitously filled than by himself. Well do we remember the pleasant scene at our initial Festival,

eighteen years ago: when Lord MORPETH, now Earl CARLISLE, favored the company with a brilliant speech, in which, alluding to the quaint dresses of the servants, (of the time of PETRUS STUYVESANT,) and the 'mirk' that filled the hall from multitudinous pipes, he said that he felt a kind of awe in such a presence: he felt, indeed, as if he were about to explore the Eleusinian mysteries! It was a season to be held in long remembrance: for the speeches that ensued, from the PRESIDENT and others, were scarcely less applaudingly received than the truly 'noble lord's. Equally delightful memories remain to us of many, many a subsequent Festival; and especially of those smaller sub-festivals, which precede and follow the great assemblage of the 'Sons of St. NICHOLAS 'the' Tasting' and the 'Settling' Suppers. Ah! old brother-STEWARDS, (thanks to a kind Providence, nearly our entire body remains until this day, although 'some are not,') what memorable 'times' were those, at the old City-Hotel! With all our Society's 'officers' around us; with the most genial flow and glow of conversation, anecdote, and friendly repartée among them, and our other 'distinguished invited guests;' with no excess of participation, but keen enjoyment of, and hearty gratitude for, the 'good gifts' of the divine BENEFICENCE, so bountifully set before us by those princes of public hosts, JENNINGS and WILLARD, par nobile fratrum! We pause - to stop altogether in these our present fresh reminiscences, with the single remark, that important negotiations, connected with the KNICKERBOCKER, and then pressing, prevented our responding to the otherwise adscititious 'promptings' of the Stewards who form the present honored VAN-guard of the good old Society-long life to it! THERE must have been, we rather think, somewhat of an amusing 'time' among certain of our 'Vishing Gompanie' to the 'Tracte' of IOHN BROWNE, in their sometime visit to the Great State Fair at Buffalo. This 'subsection,' (a' committee of two,') with characteristic minuteness of scrutiny, not content with beholding the great objects of the exhibition, made a running call upon all the outside-shows, of which there were many, more or less attractive- or unattractive. Of the latter class was one which strongly elicited the interest of the softest-spoken, most tasteful, and most seductive of the 'party.' It consisted of 'The Cattaraugus Fat Girl,' weighing five hundred pounds, and 'The Celebrated Cattaraugus Pig,' whose weight exceeded that of his rival by some eight hundred pounds. The bland visitor asked after the general health of the 'Fat Girl:' 'how long she had been growing: how much broader than long she was;' and other the like innocent and natural questions, which were courteously and satisfactorily answered. At length he capped the climax of his laconic inquiries by asking, pointing with his cane to the huge grunting porker, gyrating and 'wabbling' his great white perforated trumpet-nose in a corner of the tent, Twins, Madam, may I ask?' 'Sech rath!' as Mr. K. N. PEPPER would say: she endeavored to rise and follow the inquisitor, as, with his friend, he retired toward the door of her tent: but a weight heavier than that which weighed down Giant DESPAIR when he tried to 'put after' his two prisoners as they were leaving 'Doubting Castle' one morning, held her in check, and the two unchristian 'Hopefuls' managed to escape. The question was wrong, and unnecessary! HAVING a little choice

binding to be done, the other morning, we repaired to our old friend, Mr. JAMES SOMERVILLE, who has served us to perfect acceptance for lo! these many years:' but he was gone from his old-time place, where we had had, lang syne, many a friendly and pleasant chat together. But we found him in new quarters, with

James Somerville and Brother

extending in huge honest gold letters, some two feet long, across the lofty and extensive establishment, embracing Numbers Forty-Three and FortyFive, Centre-street, now one of the greatly-improved and most flourishing portions of the metropolis: an establishment which, for its purposes, is one of the most extensive and complete, we venture to assert, in this country certainly in all Gotham.' Here resort, not only our great publishers, with their cart-loads upon cart-loads of printed sheets, of multitudinous choice books for 'immediate dispatch,' but many a tasteful bibliopole, your lover of old editions and rare bindings: and few be they who ever depart, at last, disappointed. With Scottish integrity, Scottish thrift, and practised skill, combined with unexceptionable taste, Messrs. SOMERVILLE AND BROTHER have gradually built up their great establishment. A SOMERVILLE'S bond is as good as a United States' Treasury-Note — and 'their word is as good as their bond.' Call for a book when you have been told it will be done,' and you will find the volume 'foranenst you,' executed precisely as 'per order.' Are we not doing a good service, not so much to the Messrs. SOMERVILLE as to our readers, in mentioning these facts? We certainly think so. COMING to town the other morning, looking listlessly over a daily paper, our attention was arrested by the following:

'PLEASING INCIDENT.-On Saturday, JAMES G. POWERS, of the printing establishment, Nos. 16 and 18 Jacob street, was presented with a handsome tea-set by his fellow-workmen, for the fair and impartial discharge of his duties as foreman during the past seven years.'

'POWERS?' we said, (sub silentio,) 'POWERS? By the Powers, that must be our POWERS; our faithful, ever-watchful, always-correct foreman of the KNICKERBOCKER at Mr. GRAY's well-regulated printing-office.' And it was 'nobody else;' nor is there any body else who better deserves the unexpected tribute which was awarded to him by a corps of gentleman-compositors, who could not be exceeded in a like number, by the choicest selection which could be made from any similar extensive establishment in this city. It was an honor, honorably won, and most honorably bestowed. It is rightminded compositors who do such things. MR. 'N. B. VINEYARD,' of

Marengo, (Iowa,') have you a bit of broken looking-glass in your sham-poet's garret? If you have, please set it up somewhere where it will stand for a moment, and consult it. You will find it to render back to your probably not ' astonished gaze' the counterfeit presentment of perhaps one of the meanest Things that walk the earth—a Literary Thief. You sent to us the poem entitled 'Thirty-Five,' published in our last number, as your

own: your name was appended to it as its author; the place of your residence was also affixed to it, to identify your locality; and you requested an editorial reference to it by us, if thought worthy of that tribute. And yet you knew, when you did all these things, that the poem was written by N. P. WILLIS, Esq., some twenty-five or thirty years ago, and that neither your heart nor your mind (your heart and your mind!) ever conceived a sentiment or a thought contained in a line of it. No EDITOR, receiving yearly thousands of poetical communications, can avoid being the victim of such outrageous impositions, when the time of original publication is so remote. But faugh! 'Go your ways,' 'Mr. N. B. VINEYARD' of 'Marengo, (Iowa.') You were 'faulty,' Sir! READER, did it ever occur to you, what was meant, in a sale of an establishment, mercantile or otherwise, in the city of New-York, by the term, the 'GOOD WILL' of the place? May we, without presumption, present you our idea of the same? The old CITY HOTEL, for example, had much 'Good - Will' invested in all parts of the United States, including England, Canada, and parts adjacent. How much of that 'good will' was invested in WILLARD and JENNINGS? What would the ASTOR HOUSE be without STETSON? What would GENIN's establishment, opposite St. PAUL'S in Broadway, be, but for the courtesy, the hap-hazard, pleasant chat of STOCKING and DEVOE, upon current topics, and the commonsense appreciation of that which might seem at the moment necessary to relieve the mind of a waiting customer? Ask any and all who have been detained by the completion of an order, whether STOCKING and DEVOE have not caused passing TIME to be 'as a thing of naught?' But more than all, and above all, in this kind, (and it will be 'realized,' we think, by many residents of this metropolis, and of country towns and villages adjacent,) we speak now only of the things which we do know, namely: that any one who has had occasion to transact business at Messrs. THOMAS HOPE AND COMPANY, at the corner of Chambers-street, opposite the Hudson-River Rail-Road Dépôt, could scarcely have failed to meet with Mr. REDMOND, Who has an interest in that extensive and most trustworthy establishment. Can any customer say exactly why it is that they wait for him? For the reason, that he is never tired- never out of humor. This was said in one minute, 't'other night: late at night, and the last train about to 'go off': "Madame, your coffee, mustard, apples, Worcestershire sauce, and Oolong tea, went by the two o'clock train.' 'COLONEL, good evening! Winter has avoided us hitherto, but I think is upon us now: The Elements, COLONEL, have become our Enemies we must now make the most of our Friends. Your 'old Scotch' went up just three minutes ago and if you had been here you could have gone too.' 'No, Madam- - you told me not to send the coffee till you called: did you not?' 'I did: but I had forgotten it.' 'Let me tie that little parcel to this: a dropping of one of these might make you lose the only train which will leave here for Peekskill to-night.' And so with every body: never at fault: of imperturbable good temper: directing a parcel - putting up three at the same time, and all snug, safe and sound-forgetting nothing: pen behind his ear : fulfilling five reminiscences of five orders given only a moment before: smiling upon a fair lady at the same time, who is bowing herself out of the