The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-28 00:00:00

BART HO LOH EW FAIR.

A number of piTiiiii;ns7residingii; SwicnAeld Market and its
vicinity, appeared with a petition, praying them to rescind a reso-
lution passed at a former Court, for doing away with Bartholomew
Fair.

_
It was determined by the law authorities of the City, that the
Court had not the power to suppress the Fair, but that the Corn-
mittee for letting the City's lands might charge such a price for the
standing room, as would prevent the groom' being occupied by
berths. for the performance of interludes or wild beast shows, and
thus the attractions of the Fair might be taken away.
This recommendation was adopted by the Court.
Mr. Dixo sr supported the petition. He would not join in the
systematic warfare against the amusements of the Poor. (Hear.)
Alderman WatrilMAN said that he was not aware of the Re-
solution having been proposed, or it would have had his most de-
cided opposition. There were 234 public-houses in that ward, and
yet, after all that had been said in print, after a diligent inquiry in-
stituted by the Common Council of the ward, only two of them
were presented at the Sessions, anti the Magistrates did not think
that even in those cases the licenses should be stopped. The Re-
solution went to strip the Fair of the only rational or harmless part
of it, namely. tne wild beasts, shows, and isteriudes, while the mot-
tling booths would be left open for every species of low riot and de-
bauchery.
tlr. FAvr.t.t. opposed the motion.

Mr. R. TAY LoWsaid it could be proved incortestihly thst inter-
ludes and plays formed part of the fair, m originally instituted, and
that its object had been in no way departed from. Of late. adoti.
rable order had been maintained in the fair. lie saw no version for
suppresaing ,the carousing and ancient merriment of the fair that
would not go equally for the Pllppre4,ion of their dinners and feasts
in the City. (Cheers.) Why should the poor be deprived of their
jigs in the fair. whilst the Court of Aldermen had their dances an
board the City barge :• The sin of the amusements of Bartholomew
Fair was an old complaint, as they might learn from Rcn Jon.
son's delineation of those personages, Overdo, Zest o' the Lord,
and Busy, whose characters were not obsolete. He remembered
a peattsge—f tverdo exclaims—" Hark ! oh ye sons and daughters
of Smithfield ! and hear what malady it doth the mind ; it causes
swaggering, it canseth snuffling and slandering, and now and then
it ettuseth a hon." Busy—" The wares are the wares of devils,
and the whole lair is the shop of Satan." (Much laughter.)
Af!er nitwit discussion the motion for refemng the petition to a
committee was carried by a considerable majority.

THE EMIFItTEIRE STEAM SHIP.—On Monday. Dec.
26, Captain Johnstone was honoured by a visit from the
Govemor-General. The Enterprise went down the River,
as far as Melancholy l'oint, and returned in the•afternoon.
Lord Amherst was accompanied by Lady Amherst, the
Honourable Miss Amherst, and his suite ; the Lord Bishop
and Mrs. Heber, Mr. and Mrs. Harrington, Sir Charles
Grey, Sir A. Buller, the Hon. Mr. Eliot, and several La-
dies and Gentlemen, whose names we did not learn. The
company partook of an excellent collation, and expressed
themselves highly gratified with the powers of the vessel
and her general arrangements.—Calciatto Gazette, Dee. 29.

PRFIIITTERI•N RcurmENTS.—Recently a considerable
sensation was excited by the fact of a Scottish regiment in
Belfast, composed of men brought up in the doctrine and
discipline of Presbytery, being compelled to attend an
Episcopal Chinch there. The soldiers themselves felt it
as a grievance, and the people of Belfast, who are distin-
guished as gyalous Presbyterians, cried out against the act
as an infringement of religious liberty and an insult to
Presbytery. It appears from the .v"rikren 117,4,s of Sa-
turday, that the subject has been attended to at head-
quarters. ordert having been issued from the Horse Guards,
by the Cotnmander-in-Chief, " that Presbyterian soldiers
shall be allowed to attend the Meeting-houses of any de-
nomination of Presbyterians, the Ministers of which receive
• stipend from the Crown." All the Presbyterian Clergy
of Ulster receive small salaries from the Crown.

Last weelc, a fisherman belonging to Arbroath caught a
very large cod. It measured 41 feet long, cl feet 4 inches
round a little Mow the neck, and weighed 51. lb. IVlten
op-tied, there were found four haddocks and a flounder in
its stomach.

It is curious enough that nations should be distinguished
by so trifling a circumstance as the mode of using the fork
at table. An Englishman is remarkable for placing his
fork at the left side of his plate ; the Frenchman is recog-
nised at table for using the fork alone, without the knife ;
a German for planting it perpendicularly in his plate; and
I a Russian by using it as a tooth-pick !

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