before all the persons of distinction they met on their route, yet as they were often rewarded with costly presents, swords, snuff-boxes, trinkets, &c. instead of money, the father had much anxiety on this account.  He says, in a letter from Brussels, “At Aix we saw the Princess Amelia, sister to the King of Prussia, but she has no money.  If the kisses which she gave my children, especially to Master Wolfgang, had been louis d’ors, we might have rejoiced.”  In Paris, little Mozart performed feats which would have done honour to an experienced Kapellmeister, transposing at sight, into any key whatever, any airs which were placed before him, writing the melody to a bass, or the bass to a melody, with the utmost facility and without premeditation.  His deep acquaintance with harmony and modulation surprised every one, and his organ-playing was particularly admired.  A very pleasant picture of the musical family was painted in Paris, of which an engraving is given in the Biography.  Mozart’s sister relates, that when they were at Versailles, Madame de Pompadour had her brother placed upon a table, and that as he approached to salute her, she turned away from him; upon which he said indignantly, “I wonder who she is, that she will not kiss me—­the empress has kissed me!” At Versailles the whole court was present to hear the little boy of eight years play upon the organ, and he was moreover treated by the royal family with great distinction, particularly by the queen.  When she dined in public, young Mozart had the honour to stand near her, to converse with her constantly, and now and then to receive some delicacy from her hand.  The father writes, “the queen speaks as good German as we do.  As, however, the king understands nothing of it, the queen interprets all that our heroic Wolfgang says.”

(To be concluded in our next.)

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THE GATHERER.

  A snapper up of unconsidered trifles.

  SHAKSPEARE.

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AN ATTACHMENT.

Mr. Best, in his Memorials, says, I told my friend, Sir J., that Mr. ——­ said, that among other fishes good for food, he was particularly attached to a smelt. “——­ him;” said Sir J., “I wish a smelt was attached to him—­to his nose for a week, till it stank, and cured him of his attachment.”

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WINE.

Some people are very proud of their wine, and court your approbation by incessant questions.  One of a party being invited by Sir Thomas Grouts to a second glass of his “old East India,” he said that one was a dose—­had rather not double the Cape; and at the first glass of champagne, he inquired whether there had been a plentiful supply of gooseberries that year.

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