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NEW LAWS BY MURAT.

359

store of cabbages and potatoes boiled in water, for aball room collation. But one of the best jokes was, bisidea of maintaining at Venice and at Naples his ownassized ideas of social conjugal decorum and etiquette. Hetook upon himself to operate “a revolution” in theestablished habits of the people; he a red hot “Tory,”became a hot reformer in Italy . He would not allowa lady to enter his saloon unless she were escorted by herhusband, and this gave rise to many curious scenes whichpassed off harmlessly—because the Italians found amuse-ment in the madness of the man—albeit it showed itselfsometimes conjoined with a good spice of impertinence.A more hideous disgusting object as a sample of the“ Genus Homo, " could not be found in a week’s reseai’ch.Sixty odd years of age, a walking skeleton, a few blackstumps for teeth, clad in the most deplorable attire, oneglass eye, the other always weeping for its lost companion;a head covered with a scanty crop of hair, rendered of aflaming claret colour in the attempt to die it black ; thegallant Colonel Roche was really and sincerely convincedthat every pretty woman he met became enamoured of hisperson. I myself have occasionally been persuaded to takea ride with him in his carriage, when on meeting othercarriages with ladies of his acquaintance, their lovely facescertainly did assume an expression of sudden hilarity ; butthese smiles although extorted by feelings of derision, thepoor creature arrogated to himself as the most unequivocalmarks of admiration, and nudging me with his elbow, hewould give a wink (not with the glass eye) remarking,“how near he then was,” to becoming the declared andpreferred lover of the passing beauty. I have ventured onthese few lines on Colonel Roche, because I have heard thatthis identical Colonel Roche has by him “ manuscripts ofvalue ” which some publisher or other aided by some novelist