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speech," promised to hand down to his posterity, and bearing some such inscription as the following:—“Presented to (John Smith), Esquire, by a number of his friends and ardent admirers, as a token of their respect and esteem for his many excellent qualities as a man, and his usefulness as a citizen.—(1857.) Of course the inscription varies according to circumstances, as in the following instance:—“This Stick is Presented to (Timothy Jenkins), Police Officer, by a number of Spirit Dealers, in testimony of their appreciation of his activity and vigilance in the prevention of crime, as proved by the fact that on his beat no case, under Forbes Mackenzie’s Act, had been prosecuted during the last twelve months.—(1857.) I have no objections to Testimonials and Presentations in themselves, but I would like to see them limited to the right men. Don’t think I am saying this out of spite, or on the principle of the sour grapes—no such thing; I might have got a Presentation long ago, if I had merely asked a friend or two to set about it, and go round for subscriptions. I know the way to do it, but I’ll have none got by dunning—to me it must be a spontaneous free-will offering.
But to return to my travels—I have been a bona fide traveller for the last twenty-five years, and to shew the extent of ground I have gone over during that period, I had better state it in figures. Twenty miles a day (and that is within the mark), six days’
