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LORD MELBOURNE’S LETTER-BAG.

The Augean task of cleansing the Treasury has commenced, and brooms and scrubbing-brushes are at a premium—­a little anticipative, it is true, of the approaching turn-out; but the dilatory idleness and muddle-headed confusion of those who will soon be termed its late occupiers, rendered this a work of absolute time and labour.  That the change in office had long been expected, is evident from the number of hoards discovered, which the unfortunate employes had saved up against the rainy day arrived.  The routing-out of this conglomeration was only equalled in trouble by the removal of the birdlime with which the various benches were covered, and which adhered with most pertinacious obstinacy, in spite of every effort to get rid of it.  From one of the wicker baskets used for the purpose of receiving the torn-up letters and documents, the following papers were extracted.  We contrived to match the pieces together, and have succeeded tolerably well in forming some connected epistles from the disjointed fragments.  We offer no comment, but allow them to speak for themselves.  They are selected at random from dozens of others, with which the poor man must have been overwhelmed during the past two months:—­

1.

MY LORD,—­In the present critical state of your lordship’s situation, it behoves every lover of his country and her friends, to endeavour to assuage, as much as possible, the awkward predicament in which your lordship and colleagues will soon be thrown.  My dining-rooms in Broad-street, St. Giles’s, have long been held in high estimation by my customers, for

[Illustration:  BEEF A-LA-MODE;]

and I can offer you an excellent basin of leg-of-beef soup, with bread and potatoes, for threepence.  Imitated by all, equalled by none.

N.B.  Please observe the address—­Broad-street, St. Giles’s.

2.

A widow lady, superintendent of a boarding-house, in an airy and cheerful part of Kentish Town, will be happy to receive Lord Melbourne as an inmate, when an ungrateful nation shall have induced his retirement from office.  Her establishment is chiefly composed of single ladies, addicted to backgammon, birds, and bible meetings, who would, nevertheless, feel delighted in the society of a man of Lord Melbourne’s acknowledged gallantry.  The dinner-table is particularly well furnished, and a rubber is generally got up every evening, at which Lord M. could play long penny points if he wished it.

Address S.M., Post-office, Kentish Town.

3.

Grosjean, Restaurateur, Castle-street, Leicester-square, a l’honneur de prevenir Milord Melbourne qu’il se trouvera bien servi a son etablissement.  Il peut commander un bon potage an choux, trois plats, avec pain a discretion, et une pinte de demi-et-demi; enfin, il pourra parfaitement avoir ses sacs souffles[4] pour un schilling.  La societe est tres comme-il-faut, et on ne donne rien au garcon.