The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-07 00:00:00

SIR ROGER GUZZELDOWNE.

A BALLAD OF THE EXIIIDYCTON.
Mom Ploorh.)
Itt was Sir Roger Guuledowne,
Owt of the South Countre,
To lovely London he was bowne,
With a full grate merle
All staut yeomen and squyars of land,
To meet at Drury-lane.
Their strengths together for to band°
To rayso the price of groyne.
Hp ladye was a glad woman
Of Dye luntent to heave •
Quoth she. "'Twill be a Woodly plan,
In faith, Sir Roger deare ;
Swete London streets agayno to tread
Ytt wyll delyght me soe! "
"I doubt thee not," Sir Roger said ;
" Who tolde thee thou shold'at goo ?
"How nowc, Sir Roger!" sayd his wyfe,
" I thinke thou bast a mind
To see a bitt of London lyfe,
And leave thy wyff belainde."
A wylfull woman wyll have her wayo
Of any man tape :
He toke her upp to Towne next dayc,
Her and her daughters live.
To Drury Lane Sir Roger went
With the squyars and yeomen bold,
They fyll'd the House, though ytt was nu ant
More folke, by half, to holde.
Then faync wulde he have gone his wayes
Again to Swiltbril Hall ;
"Gramereye ! naye," his ladye saycs,
" That wyll nut doe at all !
" Unto the Crystal Palace wee,
In soothe, awete lorde, must wende."
" The Crystal Palace ? Testi!" erycd hce ;
" A fyddel-stieke hp end! "
Quoth !thee, " Indede but wco must goe ;
Pm bent upon the thing."
Sayde her, " Byde, then, untyll the showe
Comes downe to one shilling."
Sir Roger all fur nought did stryvo
To bate hys !ale down ;
They went, and eke their daughters five :
For eche he payed a erowne.
"here's thirty ayve good shilling," he sayd,
Whereby I'm out of poke ;
(A murrain on that futile Free Trade)
I wis ytt ye no joke."
"Thy. syght in faith clothe lyke me well,"
flys Lulye sayd, " to see."
Pysh, dame ! " he cried, " 'tis all tiruZl,
Gov-pa', and filligre."
His daughters five did cry out " La!"
But he sighed " Wel-a-daye !"
Or answer'd " Stutfe!" and "Fudge

To all that they colds say.
When they the btatues did admire,
Or prayer the puynt4.4l ghus,
Sir ltogcr wohle hr...ik out like fyre,
And call John Bull an asse.
He did miscall the Antazone,

At Dante's window *wore,
And oho laid his nutlison

Upon the huh-i-Nuor.
Silks, satyns, velvetts, what's tho use
Of showing here i " said he:
Such things that listeth, any goose
In Regent-street, may we;
Likewise your carpets, rugs, and mats,
And plate and jewels alms::
Rowe who, but simpletonnes and &Res,

Can care for such:: a shove ? "
The Popish sayntes, as fine and big
As lite, when he did sue
Dressed out in all their robes tulle fig,
In the Northern Gallerye,
" Upon soche se.trecrowes until nowe
I never yett sett eyes."
Sayd he, "the lytel boyes, I trowc,
They well might serve for Guys."
The gretc machines that spin end weave,
And doe the work of hand,
Sir ltoger vowed he dyil btleevo
Werr. ruining the land.
At melte as plough, and drill, and sowe,
No less he looked with Rome ;
Quoth he, "how did our fathers doe

lore that we were borne 1"
Sir Roger Toted all he sawe,
No better than a Ware ;
A throng he after hym did drawe,
So much he growled and swore.
To hear hpu inapt a deal of mirthe,
wot, among the crowd,
The industry of all the earth
lie did cry dowue so loud.
At last Sir Roger hungry grewc,
A thirst alto waxed he ;
His wytu likewise would thine fall to,
And eke his familie.
To the refeetyon-room they 'torte,
Thereat to niakc good cheer° ;
His tolke hadd ices, hunns, and torte,

Hyselt sandwiche and btere.
Sir Roger paytt for beer and torte,
For sandwiche, ice, and bun;
And mantle, unto his grievous smarte,
That he had been y-done.
The ice it came to twyec the cost
Than what the card dyd say;
Sir Roger quite hys temper lust,
And hied in wrath away.
Thus dyd Sir Roger Guraledowne
The Exhibycyon see ;
And sae may many a country clowne,
Another suche us bee ;
For wonders bootless 'tis to show,
And fayrest jewels may shine
To lytel purpose, an you throw
You perks before your swync.

RATING OF TILE GREAT EXHIBITION TO TIIE RE-
LIEF, OF THE POOLL—YESTETday a very crowded meeting
of the inhabitants of St. Margaret's and St. John's, West-
minstcr,was held in the vestry room for the purpose of making
a poor rate for the ensuing year. Mr. Burridgc was in the
chair. —The Chairman stated that a sum of about 2b,4001.
would be required ter the purpose, and that a rate of 2a in
the pound would leave a surplus of about 3410/.—Mr. Sher-
lock wished to know if the amount asked fur included any
rating of the Crystal Palace.—Mr. Rogers, the vestry clerk,
replied that it did not —Mr. Bigg, one of the overseers, said
the matter was attended with a great deal of difficulty.
They had seen the commissioners on the subject and had
been received most courteously, but they could obtain no
definitive answer. They had, however, subsequently had
• letter from Mr. Manic, the solicitor to the treasury, stating
in effect that the Exhibition was nut rateable to the
poor rate, and that the commissioners could not
be held responsible for it. The overseers had had
counsel's opinion and that was that the Exhibition
was not liable to the poor's rate. Mr. Clark wished to know
if the parties who sold refreshments were not rateable ?
The vestry clerk said unquestionably they were, if it could
be proved their's was a beneficial occupation, by deriving
profit from what they sold—a very difficult thing to establish.
lie was satisfied that., if the crystal palace was rated, they
should get into litigation, in which half of the rate would
be expended, even if they succeeded, but they might get
nothing. Mr. Bigg observed there was another clement in
the matter, which ought not to be overlooked. It would
bring great obloquy on the parish if rids rate were persisted
in, more especially on the officers who enforced it. It would
besides lead to enormous law costs, and the overseers had
thought it better to proceed no further.

A BATTLE AT A PIC-NIC is thus described by the
Cork Reporter :—" We understand that, on Thursday 'an
occurrence of an unpleasant nature, in which some military
gentlemen were involved, took place at a pic-nic party in the
beautiful demesne of Coolmore. The particulars, as far as we
could gather them, arc as follows :—On the above day, a
party of ladies and gentlemen set out front this city to par-
take of a pic-nic, at the locality above named, and after
the dinner had been enjoyed, some of them were engaged
in a quadrille, when they were abruptly intruded on by
some infantry officers, who were each furnished with a
Havannah. These gentlemen, it appears, had been dining
in another part of the demesne, and were attracted to the
other party by the sounds of merriment which proceeded
from them, and to which they were desirous to contri-
bute. On arriving at the festive scene, notwithstanding
the presence of the ladies, they stood coolly puffing about
their smoke. The odour was unwelcome, and so were the
smokers. Accordingly an intimation to this effect was
politely, but unmistakeably given to the intruders, who,
however, would neither relinquish their cigars nor with-
draw. Their perseverance in the nuisance called forth a
more decided remonstrance, and they were informed that
their conduct was " ungentlemenly," whereupon they
mingled among the dancers, and one of them, whether de-
signedly or not we cannot say, jostled against a lady. The
act,:or accident, it may have been, was, however, regarded
as a premeditated outrage, and the civilians immedi-
ately turned on the military gentlemen, and admini-
stered pretty severe chastisement. Some of the sons
of Man were stretched on the green sward, and ono
, of them, we have heard, carries about with him at pre-
sent a rather unpleasant mark of the conflict in the
shape of a black eye. How the battle terminated we do
not know precisely, but we understand that a brother offi-
cer, who was not engaged in it, opportunely came up, and
drew his friends from the field. The matter was not likely
to have ended at this point, as it was the intention of the
. "mere citizens" to lay it all before the Horse Guards; but
an appeal having been made to them, on behalf of the mill-
i tary gentlemen, they consented to forego such a proceeding,
and receive a proper apology, which we have reason to be-
. Mies has by this tame been made. Although our informant
has communicated to us the names of all the parties con-
cerned in this awkward affair, we refrain giving them, as it
• could serve no good purpose. We trust the matter will
. now be allowed to rest, and for our own part we would not
s have alluded to it at all, but that we were anxious to pre-
vent exaggerated accounts of It going before the public."