Observing the spectators in front of the cage, he seemed to appeal to
them, and addressed his chatter thitherward, and stretched out his long,
lean arm and black hand between the bars, as if claiming the grasp of any
one friend he might have in the whole world. He was placable, however;
for when the keeper called him in a gentler tone, he hobbled towards him
with a very stiff and rusty movement, and the scene closed with their
affectionately hugging one another. But I fear the poor monkey will die.
In a future state of being, I think it will be one of my inquiries, in
reference to the mysteries of the present state, why monkeys were made.
The Creator could not surely have meant to ridicule his own work. It
might rather be fancied that Satan had perpetrated monkeys, with a
malicious purpose of parodying the masterpiece of creation!
The Aquarium, containing, in some of its compartments, specimens of the
animal and vegetable life of the sea, and, in others, those of the fresh
water, was richly worth inspecting; but not nearly so perfect as it might
be. Now I think we have a right to claim, in a metropolitan
establishment of this kind, in all its departments, a degree of
perfection that shall quite outdo the unpractised thought of any man on
that particular subject.
There were a good many well-dressed people and children in the gardens,
Saturday being a fashionable day for visiting them. One great amusement
was feeding some bears with biscuits and cakes, of which they seemed
exceedingly fond.
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