the responsible position of financial director of a high-class Metropolitan paper.  His personal appearance is aristocratic and prepossessing, his manners have about them a distinction which impresses all who meet him, and his dress, though modest, is always pleasing.  His complete command of twenty-four languages must be of the highest advantage to him in unravelling the tangled skein of international finance.”  Acting upon such testimonials we engaged “CROESUS.”  We have now reason to believe that we have been made the victims of a gross and cruel deception.  An expert in handwriting, whom we have consulted, gives it as his opinion, that every single one of these recommendations is in the handwriting of “CROESUS” himself, and the police, after protracted inquiries, have assured us that the Banks, whose supposed managers addressed us in favour of “CROESUS,” never had any actual existence at all.

All we can do now is to assist justice by publishing herewith the photograph of “CROESUS.”  We apologise to all whom he may have deceived, but we do not hold ourselves responsible for any damage he has caused.  We shall publish no more financial contributions in the meantime.

ED.

* * * * *

ENGLISH AS SHE IS SUNG.

[Illustration]

MR. PUNCH, SIR,—­If I start a butcher’s business, and give my shop the special title of The Welsh Meat Shop, is the great British Public so narrow-minded as to expect me to sell them only Welsh meat, the produce of Welsh farms only?  If so, the Public, with all due respect, is a hass.  For if I who have to live,—­though perhaps others may not see the necessity for my existence,—­by my trade, find that the Welsh meat, which the Public had expected to be ready and waiting, is not forthcoming, only one of two things can I do; the one is to shut up shop (which I won’t), and the other is to provide my intending customers with French, Indian, English, Irish, Scotch, American, Australian, New Zealandian, Cape Colonial, in fact with any meat I can get from anywhere, and as long as it is toothsome, and I can afford to sell it at an average price, why should it not be sold at my Royal Welsh Meat Shop?

When I call my shop The Royal Welsh Meat Shop, do I thereby bar myself from dealing in English or foreign meats?  Do I bar myself from dealing in Indian pickles or China oranges?  No, certainly not; nor do I bar myself from selling neckties, gloves, ginger-beer, and Brazil nuts.  So, when a House of Musical Entertainment is styled The English Opera House, it must be understood, “all to the contrary nevertheless and notwithstanding,” to mean an English House where Opera may be performed, and not a Theatre where only English Opera is Housed.  “My soul can not be fettered,” as the poet says,—­what poet, I don’t know and don’t care, but he said it, whoever he was, and he was right.  If there is no English Opera for my House, then I