the present day; John Howard, Goldsmith, Sir Samuel Romilly, Franklin, Thomson, the poet, Sheridan,[2] and Sir Walter Scott.  The late Sir William Curtis was known to be one of the best tempered men of his day, which made him a great favourite with the late king.  I remember a little incident of Sir William’s good-nature, which occurred about a year after he had been Lord Mayor.  In alighting from his carriage, a little out of the regular line, near the Mansion House, upon some day of festivity, he happened inadvertently, with the skirts of his coat, to brush down a few apples from a poor woman’s stall, on the side of the pavement.  Sir William was in full dress, but instead of passing on with the hauteur which characterizes so many of his aldermanic brethren, he set himself to the task of assisting the poor creature to collect her scattered fruit; and on parting, observing some of her apples were a little soiled by the dirt, he drew his hand from his pocket and generously gave her a shilling.  This was too good an incident for John Bull to lose:  a crowd assembled, hurraed, and cried out, “Well done, Billy,” at which the good-natured baronet looked back and laughed.  How much more pleasing is it to tell of such demeanour than of the foolish pride of the late Sir John Eamer, who turned away one of his travellers merely because he had in one instance used his bootjack.

    [2] May we not, however, say the friendless Sheridan?

The Author of “A Tradesman’s Lays."

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Probably our correspondent may recollect Sir William and the orange, at one of the contested City elections.  A “greasy rogue” before the hustings, seeing the baronet candidate take an orange from his pocket, put up for the fruit, with the cry “Give us that orange, Billy.”  Sir William threw him the fruit, which the fellow had no sooner sucked dry, than he began bawling with increased energy, “No Curtis,” “No Billy,” etc.  Such an ungrateful act would have soured even Seneca; but Sir William merely gave a smile, with a good-natured shake of the head.  Sir William Curtis possessed a much greater share of shrewdness and good sense than the vulgar ever gave him credit for.  At the Sessions’ dinners, he would keep up the ball of conversation with the judges and gentlemen of the bar, in a fuller vein than either of his brother aldermen.  It is true that he had wealth and distinction, all which his fellow citizens at table did not enjoy; and these possessions, we know, are wonderful helps to confidence, if they do not lead the holder on to assurance.—­Ed. M.

* * * * *

THE SKETCH BOOK.

* * * * *

EXTRACTS FROM THE ORIGINAL LETTERS OF AN OFFICER IN INDIA.[3]

THE SIGHT OF A TIGER.[4]

Secunderabad, 1828.