"TO MEET 'MINOS.'"

Distinguished foreigners have not been soarce this season, and they have received fitting attention, with one exception. We do not think the beautiful and wise little Maltese dog " Minos," has been sufficiently recognised by sooioty at large as tho exceptional oreature whioh ho really is ; we fear, when bo has been talked of at all, he has been merely mentioned in tho category of performing dogs, like the tail-ooatod and cocked-hatted low eomediant of Dickens' story and. of Agrassot's pioture. Nothing oould be more unjust to the dainty elegance of the personal appearance of " Minos," and to the gracious simplicity of his manners. Wo made his acquaintance at a garden party, and were delighted with hit beauty, his funny solf -possession, and his performances, which aro really wonderful feats of momory. " Minos " is liko a Skyo of the long-haired, silky kind, only that he turns his little feathered fore-paws out in an odd way, whioh reminds ono of the hands of certain lecturers whon they are emphatic; his large brown eyes are inquiring, serious, and closely attentivo; his little blaok nose twitches with a variety of expressions vory curious to observe, as the several problems of his arithmetical examinations are presented to him ; and to see him lift his head with a sharp air of questioning, and slightly shako it when ho has been answered to his satisfaction, is tho prettiest and quaintest sight possible. Ho was deposited on a large table by hit mistress, ana mildly rogarded so many of the company as wore within easy reach, but he betrayed no vulgar curiosity, while he waited until Madame Hager's preparations were oomploto. She oonversed with him oheerf ully as sho arranged a number of cards bearing the numorals 1, iJ, 3, and so on, and several double figures. With a gentle shake of one paw, the little oroaturo began his "exercises." He picked out a dozen cards in succession, named by various persons among the audience, the number boing distinctly repeated to him by his mistress, and then she askod anyone present to name a sum in addition whioh Minos, who had just brought the card marked 6in his mouth to her, should work. A lady said, " Lot him add 12 to it." " Ajoute douze, Minos, ohorcho, apportel" He gave his mistress a long look, twitohed his nose, amblod gontly over the spread cards, without displacing them, and presently returnod, carrying in his mouth tho card marked 18.

Several experiments of tho same kind were suggested, and in every instanco "Minos" mado tho calculation correotly. Then came exorcises in subtraction, during whioh his gravity, consideration, and frequent reference by questioning looks to Madame Hager were very pretty to seo. Ho never once failed to bring her tho oorreot oard, though somo puzzling numbers wero proposed to him (if, indeed, thoro be any question of degreo in so phenomenal a performance), and only once did he " give it up," on whioh occasion he had all tho sympathies of tho audience with him. This was whon a gentleman requested him to find "the half of 27." " Minos " paused, looked at hie mistress, shook his right paw, twitched his right ear, and walked straight aoross tho table to a card with 0 upon it, and laid it before Madame Hagor. He was modostly consoious of tho applause elicited by this brilliant failure, but not elated ; indeed, throughout the eutertainmont, although quite froo from the oppressed and misanthropio weariness characteristic of almost all " performing " animals, and particularly noticeablo in bears, ho had a humourous air of restrained oleverness— an "we oould au' if we would " expression, especially pleasant at little oonfidontial moments between his mistress and himself, when ho nibbled tipy shreds of pink sweetmeat, and was told that he had been " parosoeux " yesterday, but was " oharmant " on the presont ooonsion, He would sometimos sit up, with his funny forepaws turned out in front of him, and survey the audience with a benignant gaze, as of a dog who said, " Good poople, you aro amused because you do not understand me, and my kind. Wo know all about you, but you know little about us. You might learn a great deal from the mere foot that a little oreature like myself exists." Ho conversed with bis mistress freely, in short barks, in winks, in twitches, perfectly to their mutual satisfaction, and was penitently sensible that he had slightly committed himself by lying down before company, in an idle moment, during the substitution of photographs for the numbered cards. Madame Hager explained that " Minos " was susceptible to tho drowsy influence of the weather, and had beon going out a good deal. From that moment he assumed a delightful briskness, and he cnterod into tho game of picking out tho photographs which were named in suooession with much spirit, turning his soft brown head about in eager expectation of tho next ordor, and exohanging looks with his mistress whioh poople presont said were " quite human." Evory ono wanted to know " how it was dono," row woro oontontod to rcoeive Madame Hagor's assuranoo that tho feat is entirely ono of memory, when " Minos " picks out an individual among tho Royal and Princely personages of Europe (ho evon orosses tbe Lino in favour of the Seyyid of Zanzibar) at tho request of any member of the audience. A favourito theory was that Madame Hager oonvoyod an indication to him by changes of voice in repeating tho name aftor the chanco nominator. But oven if it were so, that would bo a moro surprising exorcise of* memory, because it would roquiro its employment on oountleso inflexions of ono voioo, and the connection of thorn with the pictures, of whioh he is said to rooogniso four hundred. He pioked out twonty-flvo without any difficulty, ond when tho titles of tho Queen of England and tho Prinoess of Wales wore changed to " the august mama " and the " august wife " of tbe Prince of Walos (who is a special patron of " Minos 5" indeed, ho oamo to London at tho oxpress invitation of His Royal Highness), he found tho portraits just as readily. Tho spcotaole was a charming one, not only because of the extraordinary sagacity and momory of the little performer, but because of

something exquisitely gentle, trustful, and loving in his look and movements which went to people's hearts. When be bad found every photograph that was asked for, a pack of playing-tards was produced, a handkorohief was thrown over the dog's bead, ond throe person's among the audience were asked to sel«ct cards, whioh were afterwards re-placed in tbe pack, unseen by Madame Hager— a detail of no real importance, because she could not teach tbe dog anything iv the time unobserved,— and the whole distributed over the surface of tbe table. "II est un peu eoroier," said Madame Hager, as she withdrew the handkerchief. The brown eyes and black nose turned up again, and " Minos " started on tbe first of tbe three perquisitions, whiob were all successful. It maybe at well to mention that of the three persons who selected tbe cards two are well known to tbe present writer, and the third is a distinguished lady, a compatriot of " Minos," but who bad tbe pleasure of meeting bim on this occasion for the first time. To suoh of our readers as already know or shall divine how this feat is performed, it will furnish a proof of tbe marvellously fine and exceptional organisation of " Minos ;" suoh as do not know, or cannot guess, must "burst in ignorance," for our information has been received from Minos himself, and is strictly private and confidential. His distinguished compatriot was requested to write a word in their common language on a sheet of paper, to be shown to " Minos." She, with the neat politeness of her nation, wrote "esprit," and "Minos," having attentively inspected the writing, brought tbe letters c, s, p, r, i, t, in their E roper succession, and arranged them on a ook. This achievement terminated the performance, and then the little dog, with unabated gravity and gentleness, received the personal congratulations of the audience, who afterwards bad the pleasure of seeing him running about on a croquet-lawn, sniffing at the balls, inspecting tbe mallets, and inspiring all observers with the conviction that he could croquet everybody, if he only gave bis very superior mind to it.

" Minos " was born at Vienna in 1870, and his early experience was not altogether happy. His mother, who still lives, and it now exceedingly proud of him, was a strong-minded parent of the advanced order of thought ,- and as " Minos " was the sickly one of three, his brother and sister being fine, healthy puppies, and the considered that her nutritive powert would only suffice to maintain two i* creditable condition, she promptly resolved toreduoe the theory of tbe survival of the fittest to action, and endeavoured to put an end to " Minos." But the tiny weakling had already found its way to the heart of a young girl, Madame Hager's only ohild, who had a strong affinity for animals, and a peculiar faculty for teaobing dogs. Her chief method was by perpetually talking to them, and sbe adopted it at once with " Minos," whom she rescued with great difficulty from the ecoaomio purposes of "Biri," his mamma. 80 ruthless was "Biri's" animosity to the louche inutile in her family, that she was one day discovered in the act of trying to press the life from out the young heart of " Minos," by forcibly inserting him between tbe iron springs of a Grosselete bedstead. After tbat they were separated, until times changed, and the intelligence and accomplishments of "Minos " had rendered him the chief "illustration "of bis family. He takes much of his talent from "Biri," who is, we fanoy, tbe only animal in existence who has been photographed poised on all four legs on the rim of a champagne glass, and looking perfectly comfortable in that position. " Biri's " arrangements for her own confinement were eminently thoughtful and effeotive. Sbe laid up a store of chicken-bones, biscuits, and lumps of sugar under a sofa in a sitting-room, carried her water-bowl to the spot, and comfortably disposed a shawl of hor mistress' for the accommodation of the infant strangers.

From the hour of her adoption of " Minos," Marie Hager had no companion except the dog; he was her doll, her playfellow, her confidant ; she talked to him incessantly, and about everything; she showed him everything, she took him everywhere ; her friends were bis friends ; she educated him to bis present pitoh of erudition, and taught him one accomplishment whioh be has since lost, or perhaps declines to practise (who can tell the mystery of the doggish heart?) because his young teacher is no more. In her time, " Minos " played the piano— she taught him a little tune composed with one octave — but when Marie Hager died, of consumption, brought on by the miseries of tbe terrible year, and her mother recovered from the fever which prostrated her for three months afterwards, the deft little paws had lost their cunning, tho silky brown ears twitched no more to music The despair of the dog when the girl's coffin was removed was terrible. He bad not left her side for a moment, and no one had tbe heart to take him away, when, after desperate efforts to warm and waken her, be lay down by her, moaning, and cried himself to sleep. But this was not until he had essayed one last resource, whioh ougbt to immortalise his memory. One by one, he carried all tbe little " properties "of tbe performance, which until then had been merely used for tbe girl's pleasure— it is now the mother's provision — and laid them on the bed. Then be took up his accustomed attitude, and went solemnly through the whole of bit trioks, pausing occasionally to lay his nose against his dead friend's cheek, or to touoh with a little despairing paw tbe closed eyelids and the moutb, whioh would not say, " Cherohe, chcri, oherohe !" let him do what he would. After a while, he came to love the girl's mother with something of the same intensity ; but it is an added, not a transferred, affection. A year after Marie Hager's death he was taken back to Nice, and set down in a street— closely watched, of course. He trotted straight off to the house in which sho died, and lay down on the doorstep, whining piteously. Only the other day he did a curious thing, which we rcoommend to the inventors of the automaton theory. His mistress was about to give him his dinner, which consisted of three small piooos of meat, set in a saucer on the table, where he sat betide ber own plate. She was called away and detained some time in an adjoining room ; and when she returned Minos had indeed oaten the meat, and was contemplating tbe substitutes with a serene and satisfied conscience. On the occasion of cur private intorviow ho was very gracious, and we had an opportunity of seeing that bis recognition of photographs has nothing to do with Madame Hager, but is a sheer phenomenon of memory. " Minos " picked out six of our nomination, from among fifty, at our request, and with unerring accuracy. In hia own home, and abandon of private life, ho is even more oharming than in his public capacity. His unobtrusive sense of equality, and at the same time of privilege, his gentle joining in conversation with a pretty little sound, and a whole vocabulary of winkt and twitches ; his calm searching look of enquiry into tbe

character of a stranger, bis quick silent reference to kii mistress, and bis trustful uplift* ing of the little feathered paw, which he places on the palms of bis visitor's band, when the ned n {Urinative has been given, &r» among the pleasantest of our experiences of the dog- world.

"So many people," tayt Madame Hsger, "ask me—' What is your secret?' I have no secret, except that I love dogs, and they love me. 'Minos' never leaves me; I tell him everything I think and feel, all joys and all troubles ; he knowe my thoughts ; we are only two, in England, and I never hurt him by keeping silence. He never rehearses, it ia neediest. He hat so fear of any one or anything, for he never had a harsh word spoken or a finger raised to him in bis life. There ie no secret, except the tenth that men wiU not tee; that you can do. anything with a dog, if you only make him the friend and companion he wants to be."