except as a posting-house; and from the period of leaving the last stage, Brasspen was busied in making Penrailway acquainted with a scheme which he had conceived for cutting out the Gummoner, and supplying their own papers with an exclusive report. This scheme consisted simply in taking all the horses they could find at the next stage, and leaving Davie in the lurch. Penrailway resisted this project for some time as unjustifiable; but his scruples presently yielded to Brasspen's strong representations that the only thing to which he had to look was the interest of his paper, and that all is fair, in expressing as in war.

Well, d-n it, then, let it be a Moscow, and a sauve qui peut," exclaimed Penrailway, who had but little steadiness of principle to resist so tempting a proposal.

Brasspen, an old hand, slipped half-a-sovereign into the postilion's fingers, and told him to "drive on like the d-1 to the next stage." Of course, the unfortunate horses were made to gallop every inch of the way. Davie, in a blissful state of unconsciousness, trotted leisurely after them; and upon his arrival learned, to his no small astonishment, that his late companions had set off halfan-hour before with six horses harnessed to their post-chaise.

"Weel, in a' my boarn days!" quoth Davie : a maun content me wi' twa."

turned from the stage in advance. They had been driven so furiously by Brasspen's directions, that they did not whirl Davie more than a mile on his way towards town, until one of them dropped down half-dead on the road. Similar delays and accidents occurred at half-a-dozen subsequent stages; and when Davie reached London, the morning papers had all been published, and the walls of the town were placarded with bills issued from the Morning Omnium and Racehorse Intelligencer offices, announcing in giant type:

"A full and exclusive Report of the Grand York Political Festival, and Glorious National Demonstration!!! The speeches specially reported for this Journal to the length of sixteen columns !!!"

When Davie reached the office of the Morning Gammoner, which was thus put to a useless expenditure of more than sixty guineas, he found lying for him on the cashier's desk, his week's salary, together with the following note:

"The Proprietors of the Morning Gammoner dispense for the future

with Mr. Diddledoft's services. Mr. Diddledoft will perceive by a reference to this morning's paper, that he is required to appear at the bar of the House of Commons this evening, in the custody of the Serjeant-at

arms."

In the very depths of despair, we

"But, you maun recollect, mun, that I oardered twa."

"Oh, I forgot all about it," was the fellow's cool rejoinder.

Davie had certainly ordered the horses, but he had paid the ostler nothing to secure obedience. On the other hand, Brasspen and Penrailway had each paid him liberally. Had there been twenty horses in the stable, and had they asked him to yoke them to their post-chaise, he would have done so, under the circumstances, without the slightest hesitation.

Not to dwell with unnecessary length upon a very unpleasant occurrence, Davie was forced to wait for four hours until the horses re

courage which sustains us until we have known the worst. It was thus that Davie was enabled to refer to the paper, by which he found that "the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had complained bitterly in the House on the previous night of an impudent fabrication in the Morning Gammoner, by which he was represented as having most slanderously vituperated the character of our ancient ally, the Queen of Spain:-Ordered that the reporter be brought up in the custody of the Serjeant-at-arms this evening."

For more than an hour Davie roved about the streets in a state of utter unconsciousness. At the expiration of that period, he found himself on

THE new doctrine of total abstinence from all intoxicating liquors, or, as it is vulgarly and more generally denominated, Teetotalism, although no more than seven years old, has already collected upwards of five millions of disciples beneath its banners. The newspapers assure us that "the whole of the south of Ireland is teetotalized;" and we are also aware that Father Mathew, the Hibernian apostle of the new creed, is successfully exerting himself in the northern provinces of that island. A doctrine, which in so short a space of time has found so many supporters, undeniably merits our attention; and we shall therefore proceed to lay before our readers a few historical and statistical observations upon this absorbing subject.

That the doctrine of total abstinence should have experienced such a rapid success, and become at once so popular amongst the lower orders of society, is a fact which may be easily explained by the nature of the doctrine itself. This doctrine is so extreme, and involves such an extraordinarily innovating principle, that its supporters cannot entertain any lukewarm feeling in respect to it. An individual, when he considers the question, must be either a staunch advocate or a bitter enemy, in respect to a principle which is calculated to work so great a change in society. Thus it is that those who embrace this doctrine, and enlist themselves beneath the banners of the new crusade, become enthusiastic and almost fanatical in its cause.

Many, moreover, are reclaimed drunkards, who have been recalled by its salutary aid from the lowest depth of degradation to the enviable condition of health, happiness, and self-respect; and these individuals are not likely to be moderate in their exhortations to others to embrace the same doctrine, or backward in recording its praises.

The reason why the extreme doctrine of total abstinence from all in

toxicating liquors is preached, is based upon the liability of man to succumb to the attractions of temptation. It is supposed that the most moderate use of inebriating drinks is dangerous, because it leads to the abuse; and hence arose the idea of removing the object of temptation altogether. We must confess that the proverbial weakness of human nature, in respect to a favourite, a fascinating, and an encroaching habit, justifies this extreme measure of precaution; and when we contemplate the dreadful effects of intemperance upon this country, and upon Ireland especially-the prisons, the workhouses, the lunatic asylums, the hospitals, and the hulks being filled with wretches, whose crimes or whose maladies may be traced to their terrific predilection for intoxicating liquors—we must also admit that so extreme a case could only be met by an extreme remedy.

The doctrine of total abstinence, as we before observed, is not much more than seven years old. That of temperance was, however, preached in America in the year 1826, under the auspices of the Rev. Dr. Beecher, of Boston. This gentleman founded a society, the members of which subscribed to the following pledge,— 'I engage myself to an entire abstinence from the use of ardent spirits, except when prescribed by a temperate physician, in case of sickness." In 1831 a similar association was formed in England, under the patronage of the Bishop of London. It will be observed that these societies permitted the moderate use of beer and wine; and thus, in a short time, it was discovered that those who signed the pledge of total abstinence from ardent spirits, became the more faithful adherents to the produce of the grape and to malt liquors. Mr. Livesey, of Preston, in Lancashire, accordingly determined to found new school of the advocates of moral reformation in respect to the vice of intemperance, and hastened to Lon

don, in the year 1833, to establish the first Total Abstinence, or Teetotal Association. The members of this society adopted the following pledge:-"I do voluntarily promise to abstain from wine, malt, and spirituous liquors, and all intoxicating drinks; and I will not give or offer them to others, except under medical prescriptions, or in a religious ordinance." This association has since been denominated THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF INTEMPERANCE, and is presided over by Earl Stanhope. Its literary organ is called The Temperance Intelligencer, which is a penny weekly publication, chiefly containing reports of teetotal meetings and progress.

It will now be necessary to observe that the pledge, which was first instituted by Mr. Livesey, was subsequently changed into a vow which merely included the principle of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors, but did not interdict the offering of them to friends or visitors who might not be advocates of the doctrine of Teetotalism. From this alteration a schism arose amongst some of the leading members of the association; and a few individuals, who tacked a Rev. to their names, because they had constituted themselves methodist parsons (pastores sine gregibus), endeavoured to establish a new society under the denomination of THE NEW BRITISH AND FOREIGN TEMPERANCE ASSOCIATION; but they failed in their attempt to obtain the support of many respectable persons, although Mr. Walkden, of Pinner Park, was induced to join them; and they have since found it impracticable to preach the long pledge (as the entirely interdicting one is denominated) with any degree of success. This association is consequently dragging on a very feeble existence, and must shortly die of pure inanition.

The party differences arising from the two pledges, encouraged a gentleman of the name of Weston to lay the foundation of a new society. THE UNITED TEMPERANCE ASSOCIA

* 13 Aldersgate-street.

TION was accordingly founded in January last, upon the principle of admitting members of both pledges; and so popular became this system of reconciling the disputes of parties, that in the space of six months, this society has received the signatures of upwards of sixteen thousand adherents to the doctrine of total abstinence. It has accordingly divided itselfinto numerous branches, of which the Bethnal-green, Kensington, and Marylebone divisions are the most important.

The internal economy of the government of this association may not prove uninteresting to your readers. There are two committees, called the executive and the general, to conduct the management of the affairs of the society. The executive committee consists of twelve members, and forms a kind of upper house: the general committee, to the members of which the controul of the finances is confided, is composed of eighty members, and may be compared to the lower house. There is a third committee, called the advocates' committee, and this consists of those persons who attend the various meetings to address the audiences assembled. The whole machinery of this miniature government and legislature is so well conducted and planned, that if the energies of the association were directed towards political views, they would become productive of more real alarm to the state than ever was created by the proceedings of the organized body of Chartists. The head-quarters of the United Temperance Association are in Aldersgate street; the offices* and principal hall of assembly being both in the same locality. In addition to its literary organ (a weekly journal, denominated The Teetotaller, published at twopence, and of the same dimensions as Chambers' Edinburgh Journal,) this association adopts numerous means of propagating the doctrine of total abstinence. keeps twelve paid agents constantly travelling about the country, getting up or attending teetotal meetings in all the provincial towns, and laying

+ The Aldersgate-street chapel.

It

the foundation of new branches, all of which are governed by local committees. The principal sources of revenue to the United Temperance Association are three: viz. 1. Each member pays one shilling per quarter for the renewal of his card of membership; 2. Voluntary contributions and donations; and, 3. The profits arising from the publication of tracts and books upon the subject of Teetotalism. The first " half-yearly report of the United Temperance Association," publishes the success of its past endeavours, and gives an account of the work to be yet achieved. There are still six hundred thousand confirmed drunkards in the United Kingdom; there are still nearly thirty thousand persons annually, in the metropolis alone, cut off, by the use of intoxicating liquors, at an untimely age; there are still two millions five hundred thousand pounds annually squandered upon gin in London ;there are still eighty thousand unfortunate females in London and its vicinity, the majority of whom are the victims of inebriety, which seems to be the chief obstacle to their reclamation; and still are the terrible effects of intemperance seen in our prisons, hulks, lunatic asylums, poorhouses, and hospitals; and in the dwellings of the wives and children of our mechanics and working population. One hundred millions of sterling money are annually expended upon wines, malt liquors, and spirituous drinks, in the United Kingdom. The annual loss of labour, occasioned by intemperance, is alone estimated at thirty-five millions sterling. Thirtytwo millions eight hundred thousand bushels of malt are annually used by public brewers and licensed victual

lers: if the grain were not wasted upon intoxicating liquors, the poor would not have to complain of the dearness of bread. It is a delusion to suppose that porter or ale are nutritious: "the bodily strength furnished by the beer can only be in proportion to the solid part of the barley dissolved in the water of which the beer was composed; and thus there is a larger portion of flour in a penny loaf than in two quarts of the best beer."* In the annual quantity of fermented liquors, made or sold in the United Kingdom, there are about sixty-five million gallons of spirits; and in the distilled spirits there are from twenty-nine to thirty million gallons of pure alcohol, making a total of about ninety-five million gallons of intoxicating spirit, and showing an excess of alcohol in fermented above distilled liquors to the amount of about thirty-five millions of gal

lons.

From these statistical remarks may be deduced the aggregate amount of intemperance upon which the efforts of teetotalism have yet to be directed. That this new doctrine has been of signal advantage to the lower orders, no one can deny; and the exertions of Father Mathew in Ireland have conferred incalculable benefits upon the population of that island. What the effects of the new doctrine of total abstinence may be in its application to the upper classes of society, yet remains to be proved; but already have many men of rank, eminence, talent, and wealth, enlisted beneath its banners. At all events, the doctrine has found so many supporters in so short a time, and is still making such gigantic progress, that it can no longer be disposed of with a sneer.