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Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1763, 27 August 1874, Page 3

A little Troy boy, who was worrying orer a piece of shad at dinner, lately, demoralised his mother by asking, "Mamma, where did God find all the bones to make th« first shad of ? " ; f ■ Ducbow; and His Tbotjfe.—Ducrow, the famous equestrian, was an eccentric, kind hearted man. He used to give his peopleafete atßlackwall every year. Bunn was with him on one occasion, and the two sat at a window of the hotel to see the.party arrive in boats. "Do you fiad your fellows honest ?" inquired Bunn. "Oh, no," replied Ducrow; "but no matter for that; we get on pretty well. I used to find them bowing civilly at the commencement of the sea ion , but always stiff as grenadiers when they passed me towards it's close. On examining into it I found each man going out with a plank of my wood up along his back under' his clothes. That kind of thing is now gtopped. But see there, now— these fellows coming rowing up in their shirts ; I have no doubt that these shirts arc made of my banners." (Banners are cotton sheets, with inscriptions on them to inform the audience of circumstances necessary for them to know in' the progress of the, pantomime.) " See, now," exclaimed Ducrow—" see them raising their bars as they land ; and look at that fellow's shirt, with ' SheJMes at Sunset' under his arm." "The* Spbeap of the English Language.— I notice one striking change in Egypt. This is the astonishing spread of the .English language within the last twenty years, resulting both from the r mbers of English and American travellers who visit the East, and the use of the language by travellers of others nationalities. French, which until within J thelastfew years was indispensable, has been slowly fading into the back ground, and is already less available than English for Italy and all the Orient. I was a, little surprised in Pome at being accosted by a native boot-black with " Shine up your boots ? " In Naples, every pedlar of canes, coral, photographs, and shell-fish knows at least enongh to make a good bargain ; but this is nothing to what one meets in Egypt. The bright-witted boys learn the language with amazing rapidity - and are so apt at guessing what they do ftJF"*' literally understand, that <he traveller longer requires an interpreter. At the base of Pompey's pillar, to-day, a ragged and dirty little girl came out of. a feilah hut and followed us, crying, " Give me ha'penny !" All the coachmen and most • of the shop-keepers are familiar with the words necessary for tf»eir business, and prefer to use thesn, - even after they see that you are acquainted with Italian or Arabic. The simple, natural structure ' of the English language undoubtedly contributes also to its extension. It is already the leading language in the world, - spoken by ninety millions of people- - (double the number of the French-speak-ing races), and so extending its conquests year by year that its practical value is in . advance. of tbat of any other tongue.— Bayard.Taylor's Letters.,