world, he buys the whole last year's newspapers, and begins reading the events of the last spring, so that on the 1st of June he reads what has been published at Riga just that day twelvemonth ; on the 2d of June he reads the news of the preceding 2d of June, and so on. He is conscientiously exact, and never touches on the one day the newspaper of the next, in order that he may not spoil his own and his wife's sport, as they go limping together after Time at a regular distance. Every morning he asks his wife, " Well, my dear, what's the news to-day ?" and then she fetches a fresh sheet from the precious packet, and lays it beside his cofiPee cup. The pastor peeps anxiously through the thick veil wherewith fate, or rather the pastor himself, hides the past, which is his future. During the summer, indeed, his reverence might if he pleased obtain newer papers from Riga, but it is to be remembered that the revenues of the holy man are not large, and that he cannot afford to have his journal otherwise than at secondhand. As in winter, moreover, he would be obliged to fast for seven months from news, were he even the crowned Emperor of Runoe, he prefers buying a whole set secondhand at Riga, and keeping strictly to his settled plan of reading.
A pastor who occupied the pulpit of Runoe, during the first third of the present century, was called Elephant — and, oh ! wonderful influence of a name on flesh and blood — pastor Elephant was so fat and bulky that the boatmen were never satisfied with an ordinary fare, when they had to convey him to Arensburg. His parishioners, who sometimes in spite of the reverence due to the holy man would joke with one another about his size, would often say, " Ach Gott ! If all our seals were as thick as our pastor Elephant, how watertight our blubber would make all the boots in Livonia, and what good traders we should be for the bread, sugar, and butter dealers of Riga !"
One of the principal privileges of Runoe is that of exercising its own Jurisdiction. All private quarrels are settled by an assembly of the elders, or as supreme court of appeal, by the Pastor and Hakenrichter. Great crimes are unknown in their sandy paradise. Should such a thing happen, by any chance, the criminal is handed over to the authorities of Riga, who then deal with him according to the laws of the empire. The most severe punishment to which the islanders themselves ever have recourse, is exclusion from their society and banishment from Runoe.
If the inhabitants find among them a girl of bad character, a profligate, a thief, a drunkard, or a lazy sealcatcher, they first warn the offender. The relations, the pastor, and Hakenrichter reprimand him. If he improves, all is well, and there is a general rejoicing. If all these warnings are in vain, and the culprit shows no signs of amendment, the authorities of the island assemble and pass sentence of banishment. The delinquent is thrust into a ship and conveyed to the mainland, where there is no lack of vagabonds to keep liim in countenance, and where his pecuUar talents may be found of more value than at happy Runoe.