Whence comes the gibberish which is almost invariably used by mothers and nurses, to infants? Take for example the following, which will answer the twofold purpose of illustrating my idea, and of exhibiting one of the peculiarities of the age. A few days ago, I called to spend an hour in the afternoon with Mr. Slang, whose wife is the mother of a child about eight months old. While I was there, the child in the nurse’s arms, in an adjoining room began to cry. “You Rose,” said Mrs. Slang, addressing a female slave, “quiet that child!” Rose walked it, and sang to it; but it did not hush. “You Rose! if you do not quiet that child, I lay I make you.” “I is tried, ma’am,” said Rose, “an’ he wouldn’t get hushed.” (_Child cries louder._) “Fetch him here to me, you good for nothing hussy you. What’s the matter with him?” reaching out her arms to receive him. “I dun know ma’am.” “Nhei—nhun—nho—nha’am!” (_mocking and grinning at Rose._) As Rose delivered the child, she gave visible signs of dodging, just as the child left her arms; and, that she might not be disappointed, Mrs. Slang gave her a box: in which there seemed to be no anger mixed at all; and which Rose received _as a matter of course_, without even changing countenance under it. “Da den!” said Mrs. Slang, “come elong e muddy (mother.) Did nassy Yosey, (Rose,) pague muddy thweety chilluns? (children)” pressing the child to her bosom, and rocking it backward and forward tenderly. “Muddins will whippy ole nassy Yosey. Ah! you old uggy Yosey,” (_knocking at Rose playfully_.) “Da den; muddy did wippy bad Yosey.” (_Child continues crying._) “Why what upon earth ails the child? Rose, you’ve hurt this child, somehow or other!” “No m’m, ’cla’ I didn’t—I was jist sitt’n down dar in the rock’n chair long side o’ Miss Nancy’s bureau, an’ want doin’ nothin’ ’tall to him, jis playin’ wid him, and he jis begin to cry heself, when nobody wa’n’t doin’ nothin’ ’tall to him, and nobody wa’nt in dar nuther sept jis me and him, and I was—” “Nhing—nhing—nhing—and I expect you hit his head against the bureau.” “Let Muddy see where ole bad Yosey knocky heady ’gin de bureaus. Muddy _will_ see,” taking off the child’s cap, and finding nothing. (_Child cries on._) “Muddy’s baby was hongry. Dat was what ails muddy’s darling, th’sweety ones. Was cho hongry, an’ nobody would givy litty darling any sings ’tall for eaty?” (_loosing her frock bosom._) “No, nobody would gim t’shweety ones any sings fo’ eat ’tall”—(_offers the breast to the child, who rejects it, rolls over, kicks, and screams worse than ever_.) “Hush, you little brat! I believe it’s nothing in the world but crossness. Hush! (_shaking it_,) hush, I tell you!” (_Child cries to the ne plus ultra._)