_Note--Of music on board._--Almost every steamboat is accompanied by a couple of instrumentalists--a harpist and a violinist. These duettists do uncommonly well pecuniarily, and musically too, considering the difficulties presented by the sea passages. One of their more favourite performances is the _intermezzo_ from the _Rusticana_. Returning from Swanage the wind rather interferes with the strings by attempting to unfasten the music paper. But the violinist, well on the alert, has foreseen the probability arising of there being "three sheets to the wind," and has nailed his colours to the mast, that is, has tied the music-paper firmly on to the stand. Still, in order to grapple with rude Boreas, he has to drop a few bars of his part in the _intermezzo_, a proceeding that causes no sort of inconvenience to the harpist, who ingeniously "slows off," and adapts time and tune to the exceptional situation, until the wind, being out of breath with its mischievous exertions, allows the fiddle-strings to resume their part in the concert, and kindly permits the two musicians to finish triumphantly. Their gallant efforts are well rewarded, and the musical pilgrims collect _largesse_ in a scallop-shell. Back again to P'm'th. * * * * * THEN AND NOW. MR. PUNCH'S REPLY TO THE PREMIER. ["There is a popular periodical which, whenever it can, manifests the Liberal sentiments by which it has been guided from the first--I mean the periodical _Punch_. At that time I had the honour of figuring, if I remember right, in a Cartoon of _Punch_, in connection with the rejection of the Paper Duty, and a clever Cartoon it was, for I was represented as a little lad in school, sitting (it was _standing_, Sir--_Mr. P._) upon a small stool, and Lord DERBY--the Lord DERBY of that day, who led the House of Lords--was standing over me with an immense sheet of paper, made into a fool's-cap, which he planted on my head."--_Mr. Gladstone at Edinburgh, Sept. 27, 1893._] _See Cartoon, "The Paper Cap," in Punch_ (p. 223, vol. xxxviii.), _June 2, 1860_. THIRTY-THREE years ago, my WILLIAM, thirty-three years ago, Yet you, as of yore, are well to the fore, and _Punch_, too is in front also; And that paper cap was a popular crown, as _Punch_ at the time suggested; With the real fool's-cap, by a singular hap, "the Lord DERBY" himself was invested. _Punch_ "advised his friend GLADSTONE to look out for squalls, and likewise look out his umbrella." (_Prophetic_ that, but then _Mister P._ was always that sort of a fella!) You have used a good many "umbrellas" since then, both Old and New (Castle) "brollies," As you needed a stout one in DERBY'S storm, so you will, my dear WILLIAM, in SOLLY'S.