The charge against them was for fighting and disturbing the peace, and from the marks, wounds and contusions which they bore, it was evident that they had given but the half of it— that where the hottest of the fight was there must they have been.

"Gately," says the Recorder, "you are charged with having. been fighting and disturbing the peace."

"The divil a fight did I fight," says Gately, "though faith when the fighting was going round I got a child's share of it. Just let your oner be after looking at me eye; see how nicely it's soldered up for me; bad scran to me but it's so well saled (sealed) that I think if I was postmarked now I would be conveyed free of expinse to any part of the United States in this kingdum! And then take a look at my nose, your oner; isn't that a very purty nose for a dacent boy to have on his face of a blissid Monday morning? isn't it a burnin shame to have sich a nose? but it's no more like my nose-that is, my nose that is, is no more like my nose that was, than a French cotillion is like an Irish jig. And look there, sur," he continued, pointing to a mark under his ear, "there was a purty polthogue I got just between the lug and the horn, where the Connaught man sthruck his ass. O mille murther! it's meself that was

assaulted in arnist."

"The watchman swears," says the Recorder, "that you were fighting, and that when he interfered you struck him and knocked him down."

"O, the divil burn him," says Mick, "I took him for a Fardown, and gave him a hand and foot that laid him as flat as a pancake, just to show him what a boy from the shart grass could do."

"Since such is your method of giving the hand," says the Recorder," it is not at all desirable to cultivate your acquaintance; you will therfore have to find security to answer for an assault and battery before the criminal court."

On O'Grady's being called up he was about to enter into as long an explanation as Gately, of how he got into the scrape; but the Recorder told him that he might reserve any remarks he had to make in justification of his conduct, for a future occasion, as he too would have to appear before the criminal

court.

A TRIAL OF SKILL-THE RIVAL BOOT-BLACKS.

Ir dancing darkies have their trials of skill, why should not boot-polishing darkies have theirs? If the latter cannot kick their heels as high as the former, they can give the heel and toe touches just as slick, and can shine a little more so. Is not polishing the understanding more consonant with the usages of civilized society than indulging in break-downs ?-Most certainly it is. Break-downs are too common-too much an every-day occurrence at the present time.-Bank presidents have their break-downs, sub-treasurers have their break-downs, speculators have their break-downs, race horses have their break-downs, cabs and omnibusses have their break-downs, and negro dancers have their break-downs: the thing has become decidedly vulgar.

Having said so much in order to show that the world is just as much interested in a trial of skill between two boot-blacks as between two who essay to see which will rap his heels fastest against the boards and still keep time to the tune of a discordant fiddle, we will now speak of the rival Ethiopians themselves.

Two of the brotherhood were up before the Recorder yesterday. Each of them carried with him his insignia of office, to wit-a set of shoe-brushes and a supply of blacking which shone like their own faces.

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"I wants law, massa Judge," said one of them, addressing the bench from outside the railing.

"Shut up, darkey!" said one of the peace officers.

"Well, I's a free nigger," said the descendant of Ham, “and I wants to be secured in the legal prusuit ob my purfession." "Has that negro any complaint to make?" asked the Recorder, who overheard his eloquence.

"I has, Judge," said the negro, putting the thumb and forefinger of his right hand in the wool that grew over his forehead, and giving his head a pull down as a mark of obeisance"I has, Judge, and I tinks it's a cause dat'll insist de sympertations of ebery one in fabor ob westified rights and orposed to de lebeling principels ob de age."

"Let us hear it," said the Recorder-" what is it?"

"Well, it's jus dis, massa Judge," said the black plaintiff:

THE RIVAL SHOE-BLACKS.

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"I's been 'stablished in de polishin' business in dis city seberal years and upwards, and widout meanin' to be personalised to dis gemman, (pointing to his brother darky) I tinks I stands at de head ob my purfession.

"And who disputes your title to preeminence?" said the Recorder.

เ

"Why, no one 'zackly," said the complainant; "but dis here nigger interferes wid my out-door business, to de prejurdice of my nat'ral rights. If a gemman ob a Sunday mornin' calls boots!'-dats me-he runs and gets de job 'fore I can get up to my customer. I wouldn't care so much about gibin him up de business altogeder, and retirin to pribate life, but I knows he haint got no genus for maintainin de dignity ob de purfession in all its branches.-He neber uses more dan two brushes, and accordin to my system three's a 'dispensible necessarification for de real polish, and den, in layin on de blackin, he makes anoder deririation from my practice: I uses de liquid fust, and den touches off wid de patent paste-he neber uses de liquid no how, and de conserquensation is, he can't shine."

"What has your rival got to say to this very serious charge?” said the Recorder.

"Haint got noffin to say to it," said the defendant, who heard the charge with perfect indifference, and was showing his ivories with a half grin while it was being made—“I haint got noffin to say to it. I has got a massa, and you doesn't tink dis child is a gwine to elerbate himself to a lebel wid dis here free nigger? My massa'll back me agin him any day, eder for puttin de shine on a pair ob Wellington's or takin de shine out ob him-dat he will.”

"Well," said the Recorder, "the merits of the case had better be so decided, for it does not come within the scope of my judicial duties."

"Massa judge," said the complaining darkey,

"Clear out, you pair of animated blacking pots," said the constable, showing at the same time the negro boot polishers the door.

HAPPY JACK-HIS STORY.*

WHAT a laughing gasometer is that Happy Jack! From the day his ma-ma cheated him out of his pap to the day Domingos, the steward of the Independence, cheated him out of his grog, his has evidently been a life of good humour. There seems to be an inexhaustible reservoir of fun at the outer corner of each eye. It is liberally let out through ever-acting escape pipes, and it magnetizes with good humour, all who come within the sphere of its influence.

Happy Jack being called out and sworn, he gave his canvass trousers a jerk, putting himself in a kind of rocking motion, bearing on one foot now and then on another, so as to steady himself on the deck of the court, and scratching his head with his left hand, put on one of his peculiar leers, which set the court in a roar of laughter.

Recorder." Go on, Jack, and state how you came on board the Independence, and what occurred while you were there." Jack." Why, your honour, I went on board, quite in a nat'ral way; the captain wanted hands, I wanted employment, and so we closed a bargain."

"Did any of his hands leave him, Jack?"

"Yes, the cook and a boy that was on board."

"Why did the cook leave?"

"He got dhrunk; it was a natʼral waykness he was addicted to."

"Well, then the boy; what became of him ?”

"O, faith, he was taken in the same way; he got dhrunk too." [General laughter, in which the court joined.]

"Well, Jack, tell us now what passed on board."

"O faith, there did a mighty dale pass on board, and as I didn't make a log-book of my brain, I don't know that I could raypeat it now. Be afther askin me any question you like and I'll thry to answer you."

"Well, did you see any arms on board while you were at the Chandeliers ?"

"Divil an arm I saw but that long barrel "Then you were never in the cabin ?"

gun and a sword."

Happy Jack was arrested on the schooner of one Deputron, charged with piracy in the Gulf.

HAPPY JACK-HIS STORY.

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"Niver but twice I poked me head down there to ask for grog."

"How did you occupy your time?"

"Sometimes I used to go ashore to get milk, but I was ginerally fishing for crabs, and whin I'd stoop down to catch em, wouldn't they all run away?" [Laughter.]

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'Well, you used to see the French pennant hung out, did you not? Did they say what it was done for ?"

"Yis, they said it was a signal for dinner, and I must only say that if it was, they took their mails (meals) mighty irregu lar." [Laughter.]

"Who used to raise it and take it down?"

"Why, that interestin, handsome looking shipmate of mine there, [pointing to Domingos, the Spaniard] used. 'Pon me sowl, I often thought the original intintion of naythur was pervarted in not making a hangman of him, or givin him some ginteel employment of that kind." [Loud laughter.]

"Did you see the black flag-the pirate's flag-while you were on board ?"

"Troth, you may take your davy (your oath) I didn't, for if I did, you wouldn't catch me there."

"Why; you wouldn't be afraid of it, would you?"

"Yis; I'd as soon sleep in a church-yard, or a house haunted with sperits as be on board the vessel where it would be, it has such a queer, cut-throat kind of appearance."

"Well, did you see the armour or the steel cap on board?" "I niver saw it in all me born days till I saw it in coort here yisterday."

"What do you think of them ?"

"I think the cap 'ud be a mighty convaynient thing for a man to have on his head at Donnybrook Fair when a scrimmage (a fight) 'ud begin; and if a gintleman wint to decide a pint of honour with pistols at tin paces, he might find the armour of more use than a Murcell (Marseilles) waistcoat.". [Immoderate laughter.]

"Did you ever hear Domingos abuse Thompson, or threaten him?"

“Yis, I did.”

"What used he to say?"

"Why, he always spoke in Spanish, or some other outlandish tongue, and as I niver took the trouble of larnin' the vulgar languages, I didn't understand him."

"How did he look ?"