GENERAL TOM THUMB AND HIS CARRIAGE.
ALL readers of newspapers have heard of the elegant equipage purchased for General Tom Thumb by his munificent exhibiters ; and almost every inhabitant of the Metropolis has an opportunity of seeing it daily. A very sumptuous turn-out it is in minia- ture. Duly proportioned to its tiny occupant, the little carriage is drawn by horses on the same pigmy scale, and coachman and footman correspond. But, somehow, though the carriage is so often seen, in fashionable thoroughfares, and in the Perk at the fashionable hours, the little General by no chance ever appears in his own carriage. It is hard to be thus tantalized with nomi- nal possession of the means of making a figure he is never al- lowed to make.
General Tom Thumb is not, however,, solitary in his misfor- tune. • Our gracious Sovereign herself is similarly afflicted. She has a crown (or crowns) as fine as ever faity tale placed on the heads of its kings and queens; but how often has she been allowed to wear them? The holydayvisiters of the Tower see more of them, enjoy more of them, than she does. As General Tom-Thumb is kept hard at work, strutting, singing, and spouting, for the edifi- cation of his visiters, from morn till dewy, eve, while every other person in town may take pleasure in viewing his elvish carriage, which he himself never sees—so the -queen is kept hard at work attaching the sign-manual to state papers, and discharging the other dry details of state routine forthe Use of her subjects and her 'Ministers or managers for the time, being, while any 8614- stress or tailor may be enjoying a sight of her crown-jewels! The national religion is in no better taking. At the beginning of last century, an immense sum was spent, the genius of a great architect and the labours of many men were tasked for many years, to construct a cathedral in which the national religion might have homage paid to it with due state and solemnity. But the poor national religion is cribbed and cabined up in a small corner of St. Paul's, while all the imposing parts of the structure are reserved for the emolument of vergers and house- keepers—the money-changers of our temple.
Seeing how shabbily we deal in these matters with our Sove- reign and our religion, what better treatment could the little General expect? Those who rule appear to regard crowns and cathedrals like Tom Thumb's carriage Moses and Sons' omnibus, and other vehicular and pedestrian placards,—merely as an in- genious variety in the method of advertising the sights in the name of which they collect money.
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