trips to Minnesota and Florida, it would be far better for those persons
who may fancy themselves consumptive to repair to their physician's
abode, and request him to trim off an arm, a foot, or a leg, according
to the urgency of their symptoms? And if this first pruning were found
to be insufficient, the individual might be further trimmed until his
form was of a size and extent no greater than his natural forces were
capable of nourishing. When this result was attained, the patient might
expect to grow as vigorous and wholesome as a properly pruned grape-vine
or a dwarf pear-tree. Hoping, respected Sir, that I have made myself
intelligible to yourself and readers, and that Science may take the
valuable hints I have given her, I am

Yours truly,

ANDREW SCOGGIN.

* * * * *

INCREDIBLE CREDULITY.

A CABLE despatch from Paris to PUNCHINELLO (cost $8.62) announces that
the editor of La Verité has been sent to a cold and gloomy dungeon
for publishing false news,--a warning to the Sunny CHARLES, our
well-beloved neighbor! But the most mysterious part of the matter is,
that this editorial Frenchman actually published this false news upon
the doubly dubious authority of the Chevalier WICKOFF! Why, this gallant
adventurer is so well known in New York that if he should come into our
sanctum and tell us that we had fallen heirs to a neat fortune of
$500,000, we shouldn't believe him for a moment.