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community, and impelled them to similar scenes of riot; the distinctive feature of 'Mafeking' was the wide prevalence of a sudden fury which broke down for the nonce the most sacred distinction of classes, and fused the most antagonistic elements of London life for a brief moment into anarchic fraternity.

Under the force of this passion collapse all those qualities upon which Englishmen, in their normal life, most plume themselves. The true John Bull, whether he be farmer, merchant, shopkeeper, or artisan, is an orderly man, a respecter of persons and property, a lover of fair play, a hater of unnecessary pain and cruelty: such are the solid foundations of his respectability and success in life.

A florilegium of newspaper cuttings illustrative of the deeds and words to which these respectable men and women have committed themselves during the last twelve months would, by their quantity and their intensity, suffice to ruin this traditional national character in history. The few examples which I here insert are not selected for extremity or for rarity, for all readers will be able to equal or surpass them from personal observation; they merely serve to mark the nature of the national hysteria.