[Illustration: The Hattitude of Dr. Tanner, Thursday morning, April 6.] * * * * * QUEER QUERIES. [Illustration] INFLUENCE OF MUSIC.--I recently noticed a paragraph in a Medical Journal advising persons suffering from Insomnia to try a musical box in their bed-rooms; and I therefore purchased a rather expensive one, which plays six tunes, with drum and trumpet accompaniment. Something seems to have gone wrong with the mechanism, as, after being fully wound up, it remains obstinately silent for an hour or so, at the end of which period it suddenly starts off at break-neck speed, and repeats one of the tunes backwards over and over again. Nothing that I can do will stop it. Could some musical expert kindly advise in this case? After a most agitated night, due to the vagaries of the instrument, I took it into bed with me, hoping to drown the noise; but the vibration of the drums under the bed-clothes was terrific! I then placed the machine in my bath, and covered it with water; but it continued to play with undiminished vigour. It is still playing. Some Museum, or a Government engaged in sub-marine experiments, might like to have it; or it might be suited for a Deaf and Dumb Asylum. It will be sold cheap. ST. CECILIAN. * * * * * Sedantary! ["Several carriage-makers in London have, it is said, received orders of late for Sedan chairs."--_Daily Paper._] WHAT wonder if our hansom-hiring Fair Should now adopt a coach distinctly rarer? As Cabby often treats them like a bear, Henceforth our ladies may prefer a bearer! * * * * * "THE SILVER SHELL."--Mr. H. J. W. DAM'S new Play (the initial letters, save the name--and as to the name, _absit omen!_) treats of Russian life. There is a "toff" in it, played by Mr. KENDAL, whose name is _Prince Karatoff_, which reminds us of the _Duke of Turniptop_. Or, if he is an _insouciant_ sort of person, he would more properly be titled, _Prince Don't-Kar-a-toff_. Unfortunate name, too, is _Boris Ivanitch_. Perhaps a Big Bore is _Ivanitch_; and as to the family title, Ivanitch--well, considered theatrically, it sounds unpleasantly like belonging to a scratch company. There's a bomb in it, which, we were informed, in a _D. T._ note, "appears as part of the furniture of a drawing-room." The entire furniture-covering is made, we are privately informed, of "bombazine," and the explosion may be expected to be terrific. For the sake of the clever Managers of the Court, not forgetting their H. J. W. DAM clever author, we trust _The Silver Shell_ will be, for many months to come, an occasion for the public to silver shell out. * * * * * Transcibers note: Obvious punctuation errors have been corrected. Page 178: 'fou' corrected to 'you'. (What did you Pay for these?)