THE MEXICAN NAVY
Is in a most deplorable state. The difficulty of reducing the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa led to the collection of some gun-boats, a couple of sloops of war, and two or three armed schooners. This number has since received the addition of a line of battle ship, two frigates, and some other vessels of war. Some English and American officers were engaged, but we believe that all the former have left the service, and that very few of the latter remain. Commodore Porter, of vain-glorious memory, (who once wrote a book of Voyages,) was, and may be still, the marine commandant, and distinguished himself by threatening to blockade Cuba, and by being obliged to skulk at Key West, to avoid destruction by the gallant Laborde. The Mexicans require no navy, and cannot maintain one; the sooner, therefore, they restrict it to a very few revenue cutters the better. The nature of the country and the destructive climate of the coast, diminish greatly the necessity for keeping up a military establishment for external defence. Foreign invasion can do little; more is to be dreaded from internal dissensions.—Foreign Quarterly Review.
A prudent host, who is not in the humour to submit to an attack from "staunch topers," "who love to keep it up" as bons vivants, whose favourite song is ever "Fly not yet," will engage some sober friends to fight on his side, and at a certain hour to vote for "no more wine," and bravely demand "tea," and will select his company with as much care as a chemist composes a neutral salt, judiciously providing quite as large a proportion of alkali (tea men) as he has of acid (wine men.) To adjust the balance of power at the court of Bacchus, occasionally requires as much address as sagacious politicians say is sometimes requisite to direct the affairs of other courts.
To make the summons of the tea table serve as an effective ejectment to the dinner table, let it be announced as a special invitation from the lady of the house. It may be, for example, "Mrs. Souchong requests the pleasure of your company to the drawing-room." This is an irresistible mandamus.
"Though Bacchus may boast of his care-killing bowl,
And Folly in thought drowning revels delight,
Such worship soon loses its charms for the soul,
When softer devotions our senses invite."
CAPTAIN MORRIS.
Dr. Kitchiner.