Ir was a dark starless night, in the latter end of November; the fore-part of the day had been clear and frosty, but towards evening the wind had arisen, accompanied with showers of blinding sleety rain, which partially melted the snow on the uplands, and brought the formerly-quiet river down with all the impetuosity of a mountain torrent. The waves broke on the shore, not with the long swell and broken surf that is usual in an ordinary gale, but were blown into foam and spindrift, far out at sea, and their white crests were descried gleaming portentous through the surrounding gloom, and adding a sepulchral light to the whole scene of watery desolation. Who has ever been on the ocean on such a night, even in the largest vessel that human industry, aided by human genius, has ever fabricated, and not been sensible of the utter insignificance of human power, compared with the power of the angry elements?

On such a night sat a lady pensively in her chamber, her fair cheek resting on her hand, and meditating on the dangers by which her lord was at that moment surrounded-he was not a captain commanding a ship of the blockading squadron off the Texel, nor a colonel with Wellington, at that time pushing the French over the Pyrenees; but he was provost of the honest and loyal burgh of Mussleburgh, and was that night dining at Mrs. More's (one of the best hotels, by the bye, in that part of the country,) with his brethren of the cor

VOL. I.

poration, for the behoof of the community over which he presided, with a mild and paternal, yet determined and impartial sway.

Long experience had taught the lady, that when official business was to be transacted over a bottle, no ordinary time was required to get through it; and further, that, when it was fairly mastered, her lord was so much exhausted that he often felt some difficulty in finding his way home; and having before her eyes the terrors of the flooded Esk over which he was to cross ere she could clasp him to her faithful bosom, she called her trusty 'squire, John, and dispatched him to escort his master in safety to his own dwelling.-John set out on this embassy with joyful alacrity, well knowing that a full jorum of whiskey-toddy would necessarily be the reward of his services, and in less than half-an-hour found himself in the kitchen of the inn, before a rousing fire, with a handsome jug of his favourite beverage before him, laying down the law in matters of politics to the postilions and waiters, with the gravity becoming the prime-minister of the first magistrate, who, of necessity, must have often been enlightened by his master's views on these subjects, and who was generally believed to be deep in the secrets of the corporation cabinet, and to have some influence with his principal in procuring such as treated him with becoming respect, suitable situations in the gift of the municipality.

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The provost himself was an honest good man, with all the gravity and dignity becoming his station. It is unnecessary to add, that he was a staunch tory, holding in utter abhorrence whigs and radicals, and all who would upset or bring into contempt the established order of things, or the constituted anthorities of the land; indeed, it was whispered, that, in this case, personal animosity came to strengthen political security, for his hen-roost had been robbed by a party of deputies, who came from Glasgow to disseminate liberal opinions, and who looked upon plundering the tory magistrate of a close burgh, as a mere spoiling of the Egyptians, and an earnest of the glorious pickings that were to fall to their share when their grand schemes of government were brought to bear; and nothing could ever persuade the worthy magistrate that he had not been led into the jury-court by a whig writer to the signet, for the sole purpose of giving a young unfledged advocate of that party an opportunity of displaying his powers, by which display he lost his cause. He had a still greater contempt for moderate politicians, utterly detesting all half-measures, whether in politics or pint stoups.

Conceive then this great and good man sitting in his chair, surrounded by his council and all the other sages of the borough, unbending his mind after the profound meditations that had occupied it during the day, and condescendingly joining in the hilarity of those around him, and still thinking each succeeding bowl better than the last; and if, by accident, the wholesome dread of a curtainlecture should at any time flash across his mind (and the greatest men have some lurking dread of that most formidable and arbitrary tribunal,) he swallowed it down in a bumper to the prosperity of the honest borough, and consoled himself, that he was doing his duty in supporting the dignity and hospitality of the corporation, of which he was the head and representative.

How, and from what cause it happens, it would be impossible to determine; but, unfortunately, it is an undoubted fact, that, in every corporation, there is an unlucky wag, quite dead to the dignity of the body to which he belongs-one on whom not even a procession with the town-officers, with balberts at its head, can inspire with awe, but who is always about some mischievous piece of mum

mery which has the effect of casting a gleam of the ludicrous over the most solemn ceremonies-this, we say, is a misfortune, as tho' the corporation in all its proceedings be as grave as judges, their very gravity exposes them the more to the shafts of ridicule, as Dr. Beattie has long since demonstrated, that the more solemn the subject the more easily is it made laughable, as the contrast is made stronger. Such an irreverend wight was the deacon of the barbers of the good town of Mussleburgh, and much pain did this pestilent humour of his give to the worthy burgesses.

Upon the night to which we have alluded, the provost had drank just about enough-his speech had become thick, and he was prosing to his drowsy auditors concerning his own great consequence in the state-told, more than once, his feats and his speech at the last convention of the royal boroughs, where it appeared that he was hand-in-glove with no less personages than the lordsprovosts of Edinburgh and Glasgow, That he had dined with several lords of council and session, the lord-advocate, and the member for the city; and he carefully repeated, for the edification of the council, all the flattering things each and all of these had said of the magistrates and council of Mussleburgh in general, and himself, its excellent provost, in particular. The chief of the shavers, finding him in this key, and knowing his excessive partiality for great men, bethought him of a trick, to execute which, he stole quietly away to the kitchen, where he found John, the trusty guardian, rather farther advanced in his potations than his master, but not quite far enough for his purpose, as he had still the use of his tongue, in employing which he was delivering a lecture on the state of taxation, the national debt, the price of labour and provisions, the bullion question, and the general question, much after the manner of Mr. M'Culloch, the Ricardo professor.

As lecturing was not what the deacon wanted of him, he made him another jug of whiskey-punch, taking care to add a double portion of the spirituelle, admonishing him, at the same time, to make what speed he could in discussing it, as his master was in a fair way to require his services soon; the hint was not thrown away upon John, who bolted the scalding potation, and in a minute

was so completely deprived of the use of speech as to be able to utter no one word intelligibly. The deacon, then, with the assistance of several loiterers about the kitchen, set to work to perform the toilette of their passive victim. They first blacked his face with a fine pomatum, produced by mixing the grease with the snuff of a candle,-a red Kilmarnock night-cap, with a table-napkin twisted round with a red and blue worsted comforter, made a very tolerable succedaneum for a turban, and a night-gown bound round his loins with a Paisley cashmere, completed an oriental costume that might have done credit to the hero of an Indian drama. This done, it was announced to the provost that an Indian prince, on his way to the metropolis, had called at the inn, and hearing that the lord of the city was there, requested the honour of an interview.

This was news indeed; the dignitary started to his feet, and made the best of his way (his gait being rather unsteady) to the next room, where the prince was stationed, and resting on the arm of the deacon, who had volunteered to act as his interpreter. The provost addressed him in a long speech, stating, how much he felt the honour of his visit, apologized for not proceeding to invest him with the freedom of the borough instanter; but stated, that at that precise moment the greater part of the council, as well as the town-clerk, happened to be, by some unaccountable accident, rather ab agendo; but, if his highness would honour his house with his presence for that night, the freedom of the borough, roll, wine, and all* would be presented to him in due form, in the town-hall, on the following day.

The prince in vain attempted to make an articulate reply-he stuttered, and hiccuped, and screamed, but only two words were perceptible, and these very often repeated, but so elongated in their quantities as to be scarcely intelligible to the party to whom they were addressed, onny master being all he could articulate. The deacon, however, made up amply for this deficiency, by informing his superior, that, his highness desired him to say that he felt prodigiously flattered by the honour

which the great man had done him, and that he accepted his offer with pleasure, and would tell when he got home to his own country of the kindness, condescension, and hospitality of the lord of the town.

The provost now called John, but no John was forthcoming; the well known sound only elicited from the Indian prince another paroxysm of hiccupping, stuttering, and screaming, in which, as usual, the words bonny master predominated. The provost made an apology for his absence-withdrew, ordered a post-chaise, but first dispatched a trusty messenger to his lady, to make her aware of the honour that was intended her; he then retired to another room to prepare a more befitting oration, as he had been rather taken by surprize on the first occasion.

Every one knows the bustle and confusion caused in a well-regulated family by the untimely arrival of any kind of stranger. The lady provostess was a most notable housewife, but here she was as completely surprised as the Spanish guards at the siege of Gibraltar. The kitchen-fire was low, and the cook in bed; besides, though she could have made a tolerable shift in entertaining any of the great men with whom her gudeman had consorted at the convention of boroughs, doing the honours to an Indian prince rather passed her skill; however, she saw that her credit depended on prompt measures. The cook was roused, the kitchen-fire set in operation, and a couple of fowls put to the spit; as she had a round of cold beef and a ham she thought that, with a few apologies, this might pass for a supper for one night, and having seen every thing put in a proper train she retired to her chamber; taking a glance at the best bed-room in her way, to see that all was as it ought to be in that quarter, she proceeded with what speed she could to dress. This she performed greatly to her own satisfaction, in a full suit of scarlet velvet, which she had got on purpose for the race-ball, and which assorted well with her en bon point figure. She had only time to adjust a splendid plume of ostrich-feathers, and rehearse a graceful salute before the swing-glass, when a thundering rap at the door announced the arrival of her