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overland route from Williamstown, and some narrow escapes from drowning happened, when the punt did not work, and the horses had to be s w a m over the Saltwater River. But the old reporters had, in their way, certains rights and immunities, which, I dare say, some members of their posterity would be only too glad to inherit, and of these I shall specify three, viz.—No reckoning was ever taken from them at public-houses, where they could personally order what they liked, and drink it free, gratis; they were never supposed to "stand treat" for anyone, but on the contrary, swallow as many nobblers or pints as were offered, to which, indeed, there was seldom any stint; and thirdly, no constable was supposed to lock up one of them, be he as drunk as Bacchus, and as uproarious as a lunatic in a refractory ward. These usages, originating in a remote antiquity, were legalized by prescription, and consolidated by time into a species of C o m m o n L a w more observed than most of the statutes. T h e old reporters were on more convivially fraternal terms with the public than their successors, and the promiscuous treating of them was more general. There were never more than three at a time on the Press, and, as they were lo be seen everywhere, the people got to k n o w them well, became familiarized with them, and on the whole liked them m u c h better than the editors, w h o were always mixed up with small bitter cabals or cliques. Such an occurrence as the knocking d o w n of a reporter was unknown; a fellow for a scurrilous paragraph of which he was morally k n o w n to be the writer, through previous threats or some other equally probable reason, might get a shaking or a black eye, casualties nearly always cured without Police Court intervention, by a bout of drinking, an apology, or something more substantial. But events of this kind were of very rare occurrence. Stenography was unknown for m a n y years, though by practice the Pressmen acquired a m o d e of abbreviating long hand, which, with quick writing, retentive memories and a knowledge of the few subjects that would be debated, enabled them to turn out reports several columns in length, where speeches read much better than they were delivered, and the speakers were not only often satisfied but thankful. Besides, some of the more prominent public m e n supplied their o w n addresses to the Press— Drs. Lang, Palmer and Greeves, Messrs. E. Curr, A. Cunninghame, W . Westgarth and others always did so; Judges Willis, Therry and A'Beckett were equally accommodating, but Judge Jeffcott never would do so. In 1845, o n e day Corp, Davies and Finn were reporting in the Supreme Court; Mr. Justice Therry delivered a judgment, and the M S . was handed by the Associate (Mr. R. W . Shadforth) to Corp w h o sat nearest to the Bench, upon, of course, the well-known implied understanding that the Press representatives would make the usual arrangement. Davies whispered to Finn, " T h e Patriot comes out in the morning, and it would be a good lark to do it out of the judgment." "All right," responded the other; "you'll be a smart fellow if you succeed, but do so if you can." "You'll see; m y word, if I don't," was Davies' rejoinder, and the subject for the time dropped. Towards the afternoon Davies told Corp he wished to make a brief abstract of the paper as the Gazette would not print it in full, and for this purpose Davies obtained the judgment, saying he would get what he required from it in the Insolvent Court, and would be sure to speedily return it. "Here it is then," replied Corp handing it over, "and be sure you lose no time in giving it back, as I wish to send it with other copy to the office." "All right," answered Davies, "I'll let you have it in a brace of shakes." Off he dashed ostensibly for the Insolvent Court, then held in a room of the Court building ; but in reality he hastened to the Gazette office, and showed no more at Court that day. Corp, as the evening advanced without any Davies, got into a towering passion, and swore vehemently that "he would give the other what he would not relish when he met him." O n the adjournment of the Court he set forth m search of the absentee, and not finding him at the Gazette, hunted him up at home in Collingwood, where he regularly thrashed him, and recovered the judgment M S . Davies, though rather fond of troubling the Police Court on less feeling provocation, did not do so this time. Next, day he laughed the matter off, and declared that instead of Corp having given him a hiding, "the boot was on the other leg;" but no one, knowing the two men, believed a word of it O n the occasion of the departure of M r . Justice Jeffcott in 1845, he was honoured with a farewell prandial celebration at the Royal Hotel, in Collins Street. There was a large fashionable