or Making cleaning up or french Polishing any article
in the Furniture line it would be An act of the
greatest Charity to give it to me As the times being so
bad i cannot get imployment which leaves me and
family 4 days Without food or fire

Life of my life and soul of my soul floating on the
tempestuous ocean of adversity and rolling on the
foaming billows of uncertainty I find myself
precariously Involved in the undulating Waves of
difficulty and ready to Perish in the deep wide yanning
sepulchre of untimely Death if the divine Empress of
Humanity does not waft me into the harbour of her
tender Affections by the fragrant breath of reaproval
bennevolence and but For a moment Kind sir consider
The multitudinous excess of My pressing affliction its
then Thou wouldst open the golden Avenues of thy
tender heart, and Let all its feelings operate in Those
of conjunctive approbation Rapercursine to your much
to Be pittied applicant oh thou Brilliant torch of
humanity that can set fire to any immaginations Thou
orb of refulgency and thou sun Beam of fulgivity hear
me thou Paragon and protologie of bennevolent Beauty
let thy tabernacle of Thy mind contemplate thy To
be pittied applicant while the Citadel of thy heart
feels for him And open the wardrobe of thy
compashion with the Key of complyance While i remain
on the trembling ground of expectation a shadow of
myself
   With Profound Respect your applicant
          JOHN JOSEPH H C——
                         Cabinet Maker

Twice a week I receive a regular visit
from my poultry-woman, Molly Ahern. A
decent, industrious creatxire is Molly, quite
content to travel twenty miles in the day, in
order to gain a few pence profit on her ducks
and chickens. One morning lately, Molly
seemed to experience unusual difficulty in
calculating the amount of change coming to
the mistress, and the following dialogue
ensued:

"Don't you know, Molly, that eightpence
and fourpence make a shilling ? "

" Ah then, to be sure your honour knows
best; but 'tis the war that's bothering my
poor head entirely."

"Why, what have you to do with the
war ? "

' Ah then, haven't I my two little boys
on board the——and the——in the Baltic
say, and they in the thick of all the fighting,
and what I think worse of, the sickness!
And though they're so near one another,
they are not together, and haven't the
comfort of seeing one another. There's Davy
and Dan — poor Dan! he's a jov'lar boy, and
they both write to me constant. Would
your honour like to see the last letters I got
from them ? "

Receiving a ready assent, poor Molly
produced from next her heart (they were too
precious to be entrusted to the custody of her
capacious pocket) two tattered, grimy letters.
One was dated:

      H.M.S.——Baltick fleet, July 24 —1854.
MY DEAR MOTHER —I received your kind and
welcome letter which gave me great Pleasure to hear
that you and my sister were well as this leaves me at
Present thank god. Dear Mother we are going to
engage this island which is named alland island it
would surprise any mortal being to see the way we
come up here you could leap on shore from the ships
at both sides nothing but rocks and small islands and
woods with some inhabitants but very few. When
we anchored at the island within gun shot of it they
fired at us, but did not do any damage to one we did
not fire at them for we were not ordered and another
thing there was none of the french ships with us for
they would be gelous if they would not be there so
that was the most reason that we did not fire at them
but we can take it in less than half an hour taking it
or less for we have so many ships and another thing
their guns cant carry so far as our guns can. Dear
Mother I was laying quite close to dan's ship and was
long side of her several times and I could not see him
either time but I was told that he was very well in
health and a very civil quite lad by one of his ship
mates. Dear Mother I never got what you sent as
yet for there is Several letters mislead but I might get
it as yet I will let you now in my next letter. Dear
mother there are 5 English and 4 french ships going to
ingage the island but 2 ships could take it so they seem
to say. Dear father O Brien that house that my
mother and sister living in is mine and I hope no one
will have any hand in it for there is no one have any
claim on the house but me and with the help of god
when I get home I will have something to back it I
trust in god. Dear Mother we are going to go home
about the beginning of next November next or perhaps
sooner than that tell Mrs. Murphy that Wm Sullivan
and Patrick Murphy is well in health thank god I seen
Michael Murphy and I realy think that he is a clever
man his Mother would not believe what a fine man he
is getting. I had a song from dan concerning the
fleet. Michael Ahern desires to be remembered to his
mother and he would write before now only expecting
a letter from me every day from her. Dear sister
there is nothing would give me more Pleasure to get a
letter from you mind your school I am not forgetting
you remember me to all inquiring friends.

No More at Present from your affectionate son until
Death David Ahern. Dear Mother have patience I
am not forgetting you or never will.

"Oh then, isn't he a jov'lar boy ? " cried
poor Molly.

The other letter was from Dan.

MY DEAR MOTHER—I have received your kind and
welcome letter which gave me great pleasure to hear
that you were well in health as it leaves me at present
thanks be to God. I am very happy here their is none
of our men hurted yet We Expect to take Alland
Island in a few days time so we are making for it
don't you believe half the lies thats on the
Newspapers for we had some of them here And we found
out things that did not happen was on them you need
not fret about me for The Assistance of our divine
Providence we shall be able to see you once more we
had some sickness out here and some of the ships
buried from 7 to 8 men daily We had but a few Cases
so it is gone away thanks be to God for his goodness to
us all — Their is talk of our ship going home so we
don't know what time you need not go to England for
we Expect to go Queenstown after this Their was a
great Many Prizes Picked up since we Come out here
I expect to have some money comeing you think that
we are very much in trouble out here But I think we
are as peaceable here as if we were in England. Give
my best respects to all the neighbours and Enquiring