were the most monarchical people in the world. So saying, he walked up,
without any ceremony, to the chief Manager, and taking him by the
button, conversed with him some time in an earnest manner, which made
the stocks fall two per cent.

The Statue ordered three divisions of the grand army and a
battering-train of the first grade off to the South without the loss of
a second. A palace and establishment were immediately directed to be
prepared for the family of the murdered monarch, and the
commander-in-chief was instructed to make every exertion to bring home
the body of his Majesty embalmed. Such an immense issue of pink shells
was occasioned by this last expedition that stocks not only recovered
themselves, but rose considerably.

The excitement occasioned by this last announcement evaporated at the
sight of a third messenger. He informed the Statue that the Emperor of
the East was unfortunately unable to pay the interest upon his national
debt; that his treasury was quite empty and his resources utterly
exhausted. He requested the assistance of the most wealthy and the most
generous of nations; and he offered them as security for their advances
his gold and silver mines, which, for the breadth of their veins and the
richness of their ores, he said, were unequalled. He added, that the
only reason they were unworked was the exquisite flavour of the
water-melons in his empire, which was so delicious that his subjects of
all classes, passing their whole day in devouring them, could be induced
neither by force nor persuasion to do anything else. The cause was so
reasonable, and the security so satisfactory, that the Vraibleusian
Government felt themselves authorised in shipping off immediately all
the gold in the island. Pink shells abounded, and stocks were still
higher.