and having obtained his and his dear wife's permission to court Julia, I shall now relate a ludicrous scene which took place during the courtship. It was on a fine bright moonlight evening, when Flavius was returning from mess, with his romantic imagination heated through the influence of Sherry and Madeira, that the poetical idea of serenading Julia entered his head; he thought if the song was of his own composition it would be the more acceptable; so composing a few impassioned verses, with guitar in hand, and cheroot in mouth!!! did the gallant Troubadour wend his way to the abode of Julia, where under her window he commenced the first verse which ran as follows, (a fine specimen of modern poetry.) Sweet Julia fairest of the fair Bright stag-eyed nymph, chaste lovely creature Thy snow-white neck and auburn hair He was just commencing the second verse (a slice of patchwork from the old Poets especially Lovelace) when he spied shadows at a little distance on the ground, soon he observed two figures approaching him, but as the moon was hid be hind a cloud, he could not distinguish clearly who they were, at length the figures approached within 50 yards of him, when at the same time the moon appeared to full view and shed her silvery light o'er the lovely visage of Julia, who with the Major had been taking a quiet moonlight walk in the garden. They had been talking for the last half hour concerning Flavius, while the unfortunate Troubadour had (instead of Julia) been serenading an old matey who had entered Miss Julia's room by mistake; left a light at the window, (which Flavius mistook for Julia's) and who on the lady entering her room was discovered on the floor extended, in a lifeless state of intoxication. The discovery of Flavius by the Major and Julia surprised them not a little, and much laughter ensued concerning the mistake; the good old Major, (a romantic cove also) joined their hands by moonlight, and in the same light fixed a day for their nuptials; the Major's wife, who was all this time in the arms of Morpheus, had a troublesome dream that night concerning £3,000: and a few days after this scene, Julia became the wedded wife of Flavius, which decided the question of "to marry or not to marry." They lived in peace and comfort for a few years, when Flavius was promoted to the rank of Captain in addition to a higher rank in the estimation of the world, viz. the father of a family; at length his wife became unwell, and she was compelled to leave for England, which circumstance in addition to the education of his Cherubs involved Flavius to a considerable amount the £3,000 had for some time been all gone; at first only the interest was drawn, but gradually an attack was made on the capital which soon caused it to dwindle into nothing. It was about this time Flavius was first introduced to the reader, dejected and melancholy, such is the effect of a hasty marriage. Early marriages at best are dangerous speculations. It is a difficult thing to get a wife (especially for a Subaltern) according to Dr. Wardlow who will be content with little and wait the time for rising gradually to more: they are off at a tangent to the plus at once, and the minus soon overwhelms them: I can fancy some Joseph Surface exclaiming after the perusal of this paper "The license of invention some people take is monstrous indeed," I admit it. POLYPHILUS. Thursday, January 18, 1844, No. 9. The Sir William Jones' Club, "Admired and valued in a distant land His gentle manners all affection won The prostrate Hindoo own'd his fostering hand THE DUCHESS OF DEVONSHire, On the Death of Sir W. Jones-1795. "I shall hop from subject to subject; it is the life and soul of & Magazine never to be long dull upon one subject." Goldsmith's Essays. A society of Subaltern linguists having been formed, and honoured with the title of him, who was named by the great Rambler "the most enlightened of the sons of men," I cannot do better than devote a paper to this Oriental Literary Club. The study of oriental languages in this country is of the greatest importance, and the utility of it cannot be too strongly impressed on the mind of youth, Charles the 5th the renowned Emperor of Germany used to say "So many languages as a man understands so many times he is man;" Fathers are continually writing to their sons in the same style as a distinguished Indian Officer (from home) once wrote to your humble servant, "study the language, I advise you to do it, as many a man without interest gets on by a knowledge of languages," but alas !!! how few follow such excellent advice. The unfortunate Moonshee attends regularly perhaps for the first two or three months, he then is considered a bore and is paid off because it is too hot to study. The Subaltern then fancies that having been slightly grounded in the language, he will pick up the rest through communication with the natives. Such I am pretty certain has been the case with many who are now desirous of entering the Club, they find the door shut against them, and begin to lament when it is too late, they say they have forgotten their Hindustani which in fact they never knew, it becomes a case similar to that in an anecdote of Dr. Johnson. "A young fellow lamenting one day that he had lost all his Greek-"I believe it happened at the same time Sir (said Johnson) that I lost all my large estate in Yorkshire." Such men must commence anew if they wish to gain admittance into the Club, but what a fine picture it would make for a Teniers or a Wilkie; an old Subaltern, out at the elbows, with his hand leaning on his head, poring over a superannuated Hindustani Grammar covered with |