them on the risks run by the freedom of their country. They know very well who it was who offered to divide the Low Coun tries by way of general settlement, and with whom. They also know what has happened to Tonquin, Tunis, Madagascar, and Morocco since then; and, lastly, they know well that Germany has not touched a square inch of anybody's land since its victory.

the family who was deprived of his terri- | destitute of a sense of the ridiculous if tory by Prussia in 1866, or else a gentle- they do not laugh at the solemn tone of man at present colonel in the German the Parisian papers, which condole with army who descends from the Princes of Orange by marriage. If it were perfectly certain that the Dutch would be left to settle the matter for themselves no anxiety need be felt on the subject. They would choose one of the two candidates, or perhaps they would choose neither, but simply fall back on the old republican form of government, or some imitation of it. There is, however, a possibility that the Dutch might not be left to settle it for themselves. Since the publication of the shameless proposals for the robbery of Belgium made in the name of Napoleon III. to Prussia there has always been a fear that some fine day Germany and France might settle their little differences at the expense of a third party. That third party would naturally be the Low On a dull afternoon during the Easter Countries, Belgian and Dutch; and then recess of 1872, I went out for a holiday England at least would find its position stroll towards the river at Chelsea, and on in Europe materially altered. With a finding myself near to that Dutch-looking disputed succession in Holland, the temp-quarter, Cheyne Walk, I determined to tation to make some brigand-like arrangement would, it is supposed, become very strong so strong as to be irresistible.

It would be rash to assert that anything is impossible in European politics; but a person must be afflicted with nerves of a most painful sensibility if he is disturbed | by a prospect of this sort. Nothing can be more certain than that no kind of sentimentality or moral sublime will be allowed to stand in the way of the interests of Germany by Prince Bismarck, or by any statesman trained in his school. He knows that sentimentality leads to desertions of garrisons and then to needless slaughter, and that the moral sublime commonly ends in sending round the hat. If, therefore, the interests of Germany ever become incompatible with the independence of Holland, there is no need to point out what is likely to be the consequence. There is no reason to suppose that any such incompatibility will be discovered, and until it is Germany will be as little likely to attack Holland as any other power. The history of the last thirteen years shows that the statesman who governs the German Empire is not likely to be guilty of the folly of encouraging war for war's sake. He has gained what ever was essential by fighting, and can now afford to seek peace and enste it; and, if Germany does not attack Holland, who will? The Dutch will certainly not be disturbed at the mostly imaginary dan gers before them, and they must be very

From Cassell's Magazine..

TAME SNAKES: A TRUE STORY.

BY WALTER SEVERN.

discover the abode of an old friend, who I had reason to know lodged in the locality. As I knew he was an inveterate smoker, I inquired about him at a tobacconist's, who told me that he had apartments in one of the quaint old houses with ornamental iron gates.

On passing through the gate and ring. ing the bell, the door was opened by an individual in shirt-sleeves, who informed me that my friend was away. Attracted by the gentlemanly bearing of the coatless individual, whom I had at first taken for a carpenter, I remained talking to him about the quaintness of the old hall and its paintings. I am sure we both felt that there was something sympathetic in our natures—perhaps this consisted in a touch of æsthetic Bohemianism — at all events, he pressed me to stay and smoke with him.

We sat in the front parlor, and chatted pleasantly over a log fire which was burning in a fireplace from which the grate had been removed. Of course we soon discovered that we had mutual friends where did I ever go, or whom did I ever meet, without making this discovery? After a time, I began to look round the room: no carpet, an old table, a dilapidated sofa, and a few chairs an impres sion of curious untidiness was left on my mind.

While looking at some small pictures hanging crooked on the wall, I noticed, what struck me as being very odd, a red

blanket protruding from a hole in the ingly ruffled by the caresses of the snakes wainscoting, near the mantelpiece. In as they poked their noses through it. In

reply to my inquiry as to what this meant,
my host said, "Oh! that is where we keep
our snakes; are you afraid of snakes?"
Before I could stammer out a reply, and
while I was trying to steady my nerves,
he thrust in his arm, and pulled out with
the blanket a lot of serpents, which tum-hands.
bled on to the ground and the table. An-
other dive brought out the rest of the
blanket, and with it two large snakes,
which he informed me were special favor-
ites- -a python and a boa constrictor.
These at once coiled themselves all round
my host's body, in and out of his arms,
and about his neck.

longer the boa might have died, as it was refusing food; and when he produced the snake, it recognized Mrs. M.'s voice, and sprang at her with such vehement affec. tion as nearly to upset her, coiling itself closely round her until they reached home in a cab. Our hosts also informed us that one summer's evening, when the family (including all the snakes) were having tea in the garden, Cleopatra kept swinging from a tree by its tail, and Mr. M., thinking it a good opportunity to gauge the strength of the boa, placed himself under the tree, and allowed the snake to coil it self round his waist. He then found that he could lift his feet from the ground. We were also informed that if the big snakes once made pets of live animals given for food-which they were apt to do when not hungry-they would never eat them, but would wait until fresh beasts or birds were provided.

time the proprietor was awaked, and visited the garden, and when he discovered a chicken dying and others destroyed, he began for to watch during many nights, till, what was the horror and fright of the master when, at the feeble light of the break of the day, he discovered a stermi nate serpent with a large chicken strangled in its coils! At sudden he gave the alarm and called the police; all the neighbors' houses were also frightened; at last he discovers that Mr. M. was the keeper of such extraordinary nuisible things, and went to the court, where the magistrate summoned Mr. M.; but, strange to say, there was not a slight intention found on the part of the unconscious Mr. M. to give harm to anybody, and he was not at all punished for it, but only warned to take measures as to assure that the two serpents would have not in future to make so romantic assays in like excursions nightly to the mild and useful race of bipeds so good for human food."

I must now narrate, in his own language, an incident about these snakes written out for me by an Italian friend, Some years later, while I was abroad, who says: "Ecco il racconto del' aneddoto I noticed in the English newspapers an dei serpenti; but please correct the En-account of a Chancery suit affecting my glish and clean it up. I cannot do better in your language, so much in hurry as you are for it. Mr. M. he was a composer of music; he was very fond of serpents or snakes, and he made a very particular study in the natural history about such kind of fearful reptiles. He very often spoke to me desirous to show me these animals, which he nursered with care, and brooded the eggs to generate the little

ones.

"At the back of his appartement there was a small garden, and next a kind of orchard court, where a merchant of chickens and fowls had a nursery of these domestic animals, which he keeped for trade. At that time Mr. M. had in his bedroom two enormous boa - constrictors, which sleeped with him as two little babies, as Mr. M. was confident that not traison or mischief could come from them, so beloved and well trained by him. So he took his sleep confidently every night. But the wild ibrid animals, with a natural bad instinct for rapine and murder, would smell often their prey, the poor innocent chickens, and when Mr. M. peacefully sleeped, the horrid reptiles oozed from the bed, and silently creeped to the gardens where the chickens were, killing and eat ing often of them. During this assault the chickens began to crock, and some

friends and their beloved snakes, and on my return, finding that they were likely to be turned out of their house, owing to a stray snake having frightened a neigh bor's servant into a fit, I wrote a letter to the Times, in defence of the snakes, which will be found quoted in Dr. Romanes' book on "Animal Intelligence." In spite of my protestations, the serpents were de clared to be a dangerous nuisance, and my friends were turned out, nearly brokenhearted and ruined.

After a long interval I heard of them again from the late Frank Buckland, who was a kind friend to the family. They were living quietly with their snakes in small lodgings near Leicester Square. One day Mr. M., who was a delicate man, was seized with a fainting-fit, and remained on his bed insensible while Mrs. M. hastened out for the doctor. On her return with Buckland, they found Mr. M. still on the bed, but regaining his consciousness. He was weeping over the prostrate body of his beloved Cleopatra. The snake, suspecting something wrong, had evidently crept up-stairs, and when it found its beloved master insensible had experienced some kind of shock. Partly on the bed and partly trailing on the ground, the poor boa was found stonedead!

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