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life, or most certainly being maimed. On the word being given both pistols were discharged, and behaved as well as they could under the circumstances, that of Demoulin's going off and doing nothing more, whilst Kennedy's went h o m e to the point towards which it was directed. Kennedy took cool steady aim at his opponent's head, and the jam cartridge landed on his forehead, scattering over the bridge of his nose and eyes, the unusual effect so alarming him that he sang out his brains were blinding him. H e did not fall, but was in such a terrible state of alarm that it was some time before he could be m a d e sensible of the fact that his cranium was unbroken, and he still retained in his head as m u c h brains as that upper storey was ever furnished with. O n clearly comprehending the trick played on him, he was very wroth, but could not long withstand the peals of merriment by which he was encircled, so he yielded with good grace to the spirit of the time, and joined heartily in the laughter evoked at his expense. T h e young sparks w h o embarked in the wild frolics of the period were generally well educated at high class schools in the old country, and a knowledge of the grand dead languages of R o m e and Greece was not unfamiliar to them. In an outburst of exhilaration the sobriquet of " J a m Satis" was conferred by some classic humourist on Demoulin, who, however, never could take kindly to it. W h e n medical m e n appear on a battle-field it is generally in a professional capacity, in the hope that the fortune of war m a y turn up something in the way of a surgical operation; but an amusing exception to this rule occurred in Melbourne in 1845. T h e official leader of the then Port Philip Bar was Mr. James Croke, a sour-looking, rough-faced, irascible though well-meaning man, whose years had landed him in the stage of the " sere and yellow leaf." Amongst the secondary grade of the legal profession was an even sourer-faced Attorney, M r . James Hunter Ross, as straight as a lamp-post, and as hard-visaged as if his figure-head had been carved out of a block of granite. Croke was Irish, and Ross was Scotch, and one day they were both retained on opposite sides in a Supreme Court suit before Mr. Justice Therry. In the progress of the cause some interjectional remark of the Attorney riled the easily disturbed temperament of the Barrister, who, turning furiously on the other, told him "that he had trumped up the case for his o w n benefit," which so irritated the usually unruffled Caledonian that for the m o m e n t he had some notion of bringing his affronter rather unceremoniously to the " floor of the Court." T h e good-tempered Judge was quick to note the brewing storm, and with his accustomed tact m a d e some remark which had the effect of turning it off. Croke, as quick in forgetting as provoking, thought no more of the occurrence; but not so Ross, who quitted the place in terrible dudgeon, and resolving in his mind that Croke had not heard the last of it. T h e next day Dr. T h o m a s Black, w h o resided in Lonsdale Street, received a communication from Ross, conveying a wish to see him at his earliest convenience. Black lost no time in complying, and on arriving at Ross's found him in a state of intense excitement, pacing up and down the room. Without waiting to be questioned he roared out, " I have been grossly insulted by old Croke, and I wrote to him to say that I shall call him out if he does not apologize, and he won't do so. I wish you would see him, and say from m e that unless he sends an ample apology he will have to do the other thing." Dr. Black accepted the commission of " a friend" with the intention of doing the peace-maker if he positively could, and for this purpose he betook himself to Mr. Croke's house in William Street. "Old Croke," w h o was making ready for dinner, met him in his shirt sleeves, and when informed of the object of the mission, stared with astonishment, and exclaimed, " Insult Ross, do you say ? G o d bless m y soul, m y good fellow, such an idea was the furtherest from m y thoughts. W h y , m a n alive, the thing is preposterous !" After some further conversation Croke again vociferated, "Apologize! I apologize? W h y , man, I never could think of apologizing for anything I do in the discharge of m y official duty. If Ross thinks I meant to offend him, I a m very sorry, for w e have met in each other's houses. W h a t I said was in a public capacity, and if it gave offence I regret it; but to think of sending an apology to Ross, I never could do anything of the sort." Dr. Black asked if Croke would authorize him to say to Ross that he (Croke) was sorry Ross should have taken offence at what had been said, but that he (Croke) declined to apologize for anything said or done by him in a public capacity. Whereupon the other responded, " O h ! most certainly, you m a y do so if you like," and here ended the interview. Black