of this characteristic. ciency. About the year 1830, a near connexion of Elliston, originally educated and intended for the church, after having successively, but not successfully, tried his fortunes as a provincial librarian, and a manager at more than one town theatre, resolved to settle as an agriculturalist in Van Diemen's land. For this purpose, accompanied by an experienced husbandman, who was to serve as shepherd, ploughman, &c., and a single young woman from the country, skilled as a dairy maid, he set sail for Hobart Town. An accident, however, caused him on his arrival to abandon his farming speculation, and he ultimately took a store some little distance up the country, which promised to turn out a very lucrative speculation.

The following narration may supply the defi

A great variety of articles being required properly to stock the new concern Elliston received a number of commissions from his relative, who probably knew the actor's peculiar fancy, to make the necessary purchases for him in London. Among other things required was a large painting of a Saracen's Head, to serve as a sign for the store, and some alehouse pots, from which to regale the convicts and settlers that happened to pass that way, and a quantity of other articles, all of which he was instructed to get as cheap as possible. This being an employment completely to Elliston's taste, he was very soon all bustle, and the narrator happening to call on him one morning just as he was setting out on his purchasing mission, was requested to accompany him.

"I am going to make a crusade this morning," said Elliston, "in quest of a Saracen's Head, which I expect to pick up a great bargain, and shall want to consult your judgment."

Their first step was to proceed to Snow-hill, Elliston having an idea that if he could possibly procure the original painting of the Saracen's Head, which serves as a sign to the far-famed hostelrie which has so long existed there, it would create a great sensation throughout all Australia. The proprietor of the inn was however not to be moved, nor his sign either.

"What, sir," said he, "part with my Saracen's Head! Why, Snow-hill would be nothing without it! The glory of London would be gone!"

All Elliston's arguments were unavailing.

"We must go farther afield," he whispered to the narrator.

Accordingly they perambulated Holborn, and searched St. Giles's, but without success. The Seven Dials proved alike barren, and as a dernier ressort, they visited Broker's-alley, but no Saracen's Head was to be found.

"Have you got a Turk's Head ?" said Elliston.

As

But Turks' Heads were equally scarce, though he expressed his willingness, if necessary, to dispense with the Paynym's mustaches. for the alehouse pots, he was assured the pewterer was the only person from whom he could procure them, but Elliston wanted to buy them a bargain, and to have given an order for them, or purchased them new, would by no means have suited his book.

Many of the brokers and dealers thought it possible they might have a Saracen's Head and some pewter pots in the course of a few days, but none of them would speak positively. In this state of

things, after making a circuit of Drury Lane, Elliston and the narrator returned, much fatigued, to Blackfriars-road, where a good dinner and some choice old port very soon recruited their exhausted spirits.

They were proceeding to discuss a second bottle, for Elliston having determined to employ the joint talents of his two scene-painters, Marshall and Phillips, to produce a Saracen's head of gigantic proportions, was speedily regaining his good humour, when a heavy knock like that of a dun was heard at the street-door, and the servant soon after entering, announced that there were two men outside; one with a large picture, and the other with a bag full of something, wanted to see her master. Evening by this time had fairly set in.

"Two men wanting to see me?" said Elliston, rather surprised. "A picture, and a bag full of things! Well, let them come in.'

The strangers were accordingly introduced, and entered, one lugging in a large picture, swinging in a rude wooden frame, and the other with a well-filled bag over his shoulders. As they stood at the door scratching their heads, and staring at Elliston, their appearance was any thing but prepossessing; in fact, they were very, illfavoured-looking fellows.

"Now, friends," said Elliston, very importantly, "I am Robert William Elliston, what is your business with me?"

Beg pardon, gov'nor," said the foremost of the fellows, "but ve happened to be in Broker's-alley to day ven you ver a axing about a Saracen's Head, and inquiring arter some public-house pots; and as this 'ere other gemman and I happened to have the wery identical ticket, vy ve thought, there could be no harm in our bringing on 'em here, and here they are."

As he uttered these words "the other gemman," with a very satisfied grin, placed the picture for Elliston's inspection in the most advantageous light he could. It was, indeed, a very ample sign of a Saracen's Head hanging in the centre of an uncouth and dirty-looking wooden frame. There were the turban, the fierce mustaches, and the

white tunic.

"It must be Tippoo Saib," whispered Elliston, much delighted. "It is Tip-em Sap," said the fellow, imperfectly catching his words. "Or El Hyder," observed Elliston, with a wink to the narrator. "No occasion to hide it, muster," said the fellow, indignantly; "fit to be showed any vere."

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It might even serve for the Sultan Saladin."

"Sarve for any thing, sir, it's such a good un," said the fellow. "It does indeed look very fresh, friend, considering."

"Wery fresh indeed, sir."

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Might even have come from the Holy Land."

"I shouldn't vonder."

"Well, I shall make you an offer for it. What's your money?" "Five guineas is the wery lowest !"

"Three pounds is my maximum, not a farthing more."

"You are wery hard, gov'nor; but, howsendever, as you talks of a drop of max as well, vy you must have it your own vay, that's all."

"It's a bargain," cried Elliston, quite delighted. "The Saracen's Head is mine."

"Now, friend," to the other man, "let us see what you have got in your bag there. Come, leave off your damnable faces, and begin."

The fellow grinned at his honour being so "wery facetious," and Elliston filling his glass again, winked knowingly at the narrator, while a goodly row of pint and quart alehouse tankards were unbagged, and placed very carefully in regular order on the table.

"Aha!" said Elliston, "we must mind our p's and q's here-prove ourselves lads of metal-these indeed smack—”

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Yes, these are the rale things, ain't they, sir?-gennuine parlourpots," said the fellow, with a grin. "You see they are all on 'um spouted, quite reg'lar."

"Ay, ay, no doubt they have been spouted often enough," said Elliston.

"Rale Britannia metal, gov'nor; almost equal to Tooth and Egg."

"I'm not to be bit, fellow," said Elliston, confidently.

"And only got the gemmen's correspondence on 'em as they belonged to."

"G. E." said Elliston, much pleased, noticing the letters engraven on the tankards-" strange coincidence. I have only to prefix a W. to them, and they are the very initials"

"Vell, that is curous, Bill," said the fellow, "they are the gemmen's own ineggshells, you hears. You must stand a pint extra for that, gov'nor."

After some haggling, the tankards were finally purchased at a shilling each, scarcely more, as the fellows assured Elliston, than the price of old pewter-the real value being half-a-crown and five shillings each; "Besides vich," observed one of the fellows, "ve'll give your honour the bag into the bargain."

"Oh, yes, ve'll give his honour the sack with a deal of pleasure, Jem," said the other fellow," as soon as ve touches the tin."

There was no resisting the temptation of the bag into the bargain; the money was paid, and the fellows instantly disappeared, seemingly as much pleased as Elliston himself, who was delighted with his purchases.

"This is the genuine article," said he, surveying the Saracen's Head with great rapture. "This will astonish Tasmania a little, I should think. I will grant you that Marshall and Phillips might have painted a better picture, but there is a rude effect, a broad attraction in your itinerant sign daubers! those fellows snatch a grace beyond the rules of art and I have got it for almost nothing. Then these tankards, they positively look better than silver. Come, we will hansel one of them with a little mulled port, by way of an episcopal nightcap. Here, Mrs. Brown," summoning his housekeeper, "lemons, nutmeg, and the warming-pot."

Mrs. Brown duly appeared, and made a strong remonstrance against the Saracen's Head remaining in the room, on the score that the filthy frame would spoil her furniture; she also complained that the tankards were flagrant with odours of stale porter and tobacco, and would scent the whole house. After some altercation, Elliston, as is usual in these cases, was forced to submit to his "dame of the keys," and it was

agreed that the Saracen's Head and the tankards should be placed in the yard, there to remain till they were packed up for transporta

tion.

To the yard then they were accordingly removed, Elliston remarking that the Saracen's Head had doubtless been used to brave all weathers.

The night turning out an uncommonly stormy one, and the mulled port proving very potent, the narrator made Blackfriars-road his home till the next day; he met Elliston at the breakfast-table in the morning, and it was while enjoying this social meal, that the comedian received a call from R., one of his especial intimates.

"Ah, my dear fellow!" said Elliston; "welcome, welcome. You come in the very nick; I have been making some purchases, the greatest bargains-but you shall judge. Jane, go into the yard, and bring in the Saracen's Head, you will find there."

"Yes, sir," said the girl, hastening to obey his injunction.

"A gem, sir,—a perfect gem," said he to R. "That shall not blush unseen, nor waste its sweetness on the desert air. I got it for a mere song-not half its value; completely took the fellow in that sold it me."

Here the girl returned.

"Well, where's the Saracen's Head?"

"There's no Saracen's Head there, sir," said the girl; an old gentleman in a powdered wig and white coat."

"there's only

"Powdered wig and white coat?" said Elliston, indignantly; "the wench is mad! Don't you know the difference between a turban and tunic, and a wig and waistcoat ?-then there's his whiskers-the cat's are nothing to them!"

"Whiskers! there are no whiskers there, sir,-all as plain as the back of my hand!"

"What! you don't mean to tell me any person has been barbarous enough to shave my Saracen during the night, do you? The silly jade don't know what whiskers mean."

"Indeed but I do, sir!" said the girl, bridling up.

"Well, well," said R., impatiently, "let us have the picture in, and then we shall see."

The picture was accordingly brought in, when, to the great astonishment of Elliston and the narrator, instead of a black-whiskered Saracen, with a turban and tunic, there only appeared the benevolent countenance of the Earl of Cornwallis, in his usual full-bottomed cauliflower, and white uniform."

"What the devil's this?" said Elliston; "here's a metamorphosis! My Saracen turned into this old Put! By what magic-"

The mystery was soon solved; the poor earl, by the aid of a little distemper, had easily been converted into Mahometanism, his wig turned into a turban, and his coat and waistcoat into a muslin tunic. A touch of the brush had furnished him with a pair of ferocious mustaches, a slight coat of gum passed over the whole, had fixed the chalks, and given it completely the appearance of oil painting; but it could not withstand the effects of a night's rain. Through its exposure in the yard,

The peltings of the pitiless storm,

had completely washed away all appearance of the Paganism that had so charmed Elliston.

"My warlike Saracen turned into this lamb-looking Christian. The fellows have completely done me," said the mortified Elliston. "I'm bit, though I did get it at half-price. Well, no matter, there are the pots, there's no mistake about them; the rain can't have converted them into any thing else-they must make me amends."

"Ay, I should like to see the pots," said R., ironically.

Agreeably to her orders, Jane then brought in the tankards, and Elliston proceeded to expatiate on their excellences to the sceptical R., who commenced a very close examination of one of them.

"Well, what do you think of them?" said Elliston, triumphantly, after R. had turned them over some time; "they are at least intact, you see."

"The tankards are very well," replied R.; "but among all your other characters, I never knew you had appeared in your present one before; for this is surely a new character."

"What character ?" roared Elliston.

"Why, a pot-stealer !" replied R., drily.

"A pot-stealer! A pot-stealer!" cried Elliston, confounded. "What do you mean? What authority have you for—'

"Authority? plenty," said Ř., " undeniable evidence-proof positive--nothing can be clearer. Look here," and turning up the bottom of the pot, he displayed, to the great mortification and horror of Elliston, the following notice, very legibly, and deeply cut in the metal

"This pot is stolen from the GENERAL ELLIOT, GIBRALTAR ROW, LAMBETH."

It was the same with all the others. Elliston stood petrified.

"Don't make yourself uneasy," said R., jeeringly; "it's only petty larceny-whipping at the cart's-tail, that's all; and as you got them so cheap, you surely won't mind that."

"What!-petty larceny-whipping at the cart's-tail!" cried Elliston, in agony-"Robert William Elliston whipped at the cart's-tail! Death to Melpomene !-degradation to Thalia! I'll have nothing to do with them-the scoundrels! I've been finely taken in-rarely bamboozled! Here, Jane, remove these vile recipients instantly. Carry them back to Gibraltar-row-the General Elliot. This accounts for the initials G. E., that I thought so à propos. Never will I buy another bargain-no, not even if I get it for nothing! The villainsthe traitorous villains!"

Jane obeyed her master's directions. The tankards were forthwith conveyed to the surprised and delighted host of the General Elliot, from whose back-yard it appeared they had been adroitly abstracted in the dusk of the previous evening, while hanging on a pot-rack to dry, together with the rack itself, which, on further examination, was found to have been converted into the identical wooden-frame in which the poor Saracenized Cornwallis had been gibbeted, and which had so much excited Mrs. Brown's indignation.

Elliston was for a long time very sore whenever the subject of the Saracen's Head and pewter-pots was broached; but he at last recon