holds in her other hand a book labelled, "_The Art of Nursing_,"
it may be conjectured that she is a frequent visitor to the
Dissecting-Room, or the Accident Ward of a London Hospital. On the
whole, perhaps, it is fortunate that her name has not been preserved
by succeeding generations. She must, indeed, have been a contrast to
her angelic descendants of the present day.

No. 2478. _An Utensil Made of Brass_. This strange-looking object
may have been used by our ancestors as a helmet, or perhaps as a
fish-kettle. It is, perhaps, rather large for the first, and a little
too thick for the second. The Catalogue describes the exhibit as "a
coal-scuttle." It is impossible to verify this assertion, as coal
is now only found in specimen cases at museums, and a sketch of
a coal-scuttle has not been seen for the last fifty years. It is,
however, interesting as suggestive of a time when the world was not
heated by volcanic hot water.

* * * * *

[Illustration: Seasonable "on this Head."]

SEASONABLE REPLY (_By Our Own Politest Letter-Writer_.)--This is a
model for a cautious answer at this time of year to an invitation to
witness an out-of-door ceremony, the laying of a first stone, &c, &c,
returning to London same day:--"Dear A----, if I am (1) alive, (2)
well, (3) with no urgent business, (4) in London, and if the weather
is (i.) fine, (ii.) fairly warm, (iii.) likely to last so, (iv.) wind
S.W., (v.) no remains of sloshy thaw, (vi.) no frost; if there are
comfortable conveyances to and from station; if there is a perfectly
dry spot for me to stand on, and see and hear everything, and