See the Spectre of the Smells—­
      London Smells! 
  What a world of retrospect his tyranny compels! 
    In the silence of the night
    How we muse on the old plight
  Of Kensington,—­a Dismal Swamp, and lone! 
    Still the old Swamp-Demon floats
    O’er the City, as our throats
      Have long known. 
    And the people—­ah, the people—­
    Though as high as a church steeple
        They have gone
      For fresh air, that Demon’s tolling
        In a muffled monotone
      Their doom, and rolling, rolling
        O’er the City overgrown. 
      He is neither man nor woman,
      He is neither brute nor human,
        He’s a Ghoul;
      Spectre King of Smells, he tolls,
      And he rolls, rolls, rolls. 
        Rolls,
      With his cohort of Bad Smells! 
      And his cruel bosom swells
      With the triumph of the Smells. 
      Whose long tale the scribbler tells
      To the Times, Times, Times,
      Telling of “local” crimes
    In the gendering of the Smells,
        Of the Smells: 
      To the Times, Times, Times,
      Telling of Railway crimes,
      In the fostering of Smells,—­
      Of the Smells, Smells, Smells,
  Brick-field Smells, bone-boiling Smells,
      Whilst the Demon of old times
        With us dwells, dwells, dwells. 
      The old Swamp Fiend of moist climes! 
      See him rolling with his Smells—­
      Awful Smells.  Smells.  Smells—­
      See him prowling with his Smells,
      Horrid Smells, Smells, Smells—­
  London Smells, Smells, Smells, Smells,
          Smells, Smells, Smells,—­
  Will the County Council free us from these Smells?

* * * * *

JUST NOW THE CHIEF NILE-IST IN PARIS.—­CLEOPATRA.

* * * * *

[Illustration:  “ENFANT TERRIBLE.”

“I’VE BROUGHT YOU A GLASS OF WINE, MR. PROFESSOR. PLEASE DRINK IT.”

“VAT?  BEFORE TINNER?  ACH, VY?”

“BECAUSE MUMMY SAYS YOU DRINK LIKE A FISH, AND I WANT TO SEE YOU—!”]

* * * * *

SEEING THE STARS.

The following paragraph appears in the columns of the Scottish Leader:—­

“Those who were out of doors in Edinburgh at three o’clock on Saturday morning were startled by the appearance of a brilliant meteorite in the northern hemisphere.  Its advent was announced by a flash of light which illuminated the whole city.  A long fiery streak marked its course, and remained visible for more than a minute.  At first this streak was perfectly straight, but, after it had begun to fade, it broke into a zig-zag.”

The phenomenon so graphically described, though remarkable, is not, we believe, in the circumstances, entirely novel.  Perhaps it is noteworthy as coming a little early in the year.  We understand that on New Year’s Day, “those who are out of doors in Edinburgh at three o’clock in the morning,” are not unfrequently startled in somewhat similar manner.