"I perceive that there have been changes at the Admiralty. Dyer, Darch, and Riley superannuated. Hay takes Darch's place as reading clerk. This is right. Hay is a gentleman, and a man of business. Met Sir Francis--which Sir Francis, you would say, for there are two who frequent the Admiralty, the obtuse and the clever. I mean the clever. 'Well, Frank, how goes on the Vernon, and how did she go off the other day? No want of water, I presume.' 'No; thank _heaven_ for that! Why, she went off beautifully, but the lubberly mateys contrived to get her foul of the hulk, and Lord Vernon came out of the conflict minus a leg and an arm.'--'Who had you there?' 'Upon my honour I hardly know. I was so busy paying my devoirs to Lady Graham; she looked for all the world like a mermaid, as she stood by the bows and christened the vessel. Her hair hung down as straight as the lower rigging when first put over the mast heads.'--'I wish I had such a beautiful mermaid for a wife,' replied H----, who had joined and listened to our conversation. 'What a pretty creature is that Miss E----; she looked as fresh as if she had just come out of a shower bath.' 'Well, so she had.'" * * * * * "I went to the Opera on Tuesday to hear Mariani. She is splendid--confounded plain, but that's no consequence. That Grisi screams rather too much, although she acts well, and has a pretty person, if it was washed. I believe Brugnoli's toes are made of _cast iron_. _Toe_ K--g, could make no impression upon them. You know how K--g obtained that name. He is a little puffy fellow, who goes about town, making acquaintance with every body--is endured at watering places for his poodle qualities of 'fetch and carry:' he is very anxious to become acquainted with noblemen, and his plan is to sidle up and tread very lightly upon an aristocratical toe--then an immediate apology, and the apology is followed also with the wind and weather, and the leading topic of the day, a knowledge of his lordship's friends or relations, and a good morning. The next day when they meet, a polite bow from Mr. K--g, and if an opportunity offers he enters into conversation, and thus establishes his acquaintance. "Such is his EXTREME method of introducing himself, which deserves credit for its ingenuity and exclusiveness. I once knew a man who had only one story, and that was about a gun. His difficulty was to introduce this story, and he at last succeeded, like K--g, by the use of his foot. When sitting after dinner he would stamp under the table and create a hollow sound. Then, God bless me! what's that--a gun? By the by, talking about guns--and then came his story." * * * * * THE SELECTOR; AND LITERARY NOTICES OF _NEW WORKS._ * * * * * THE MESSIAH. _By Robert Montgomery._ The subsequent passages exhibit many of the beauties and few of the blemishes of Mr. Montgomery's new poem: THE WILDERNESS.