The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-11-17 00:00:00

Yesterday being the day appointed for filling
these noble Docks with water, the Proprietors, Di-

NEW LONDON DOCKS.

reactors, and persons attached to the COmpany, as-
sembled upoa the ground at eleven o'clock to wit-
ness this grand process. At twelve o'clock, they
were joined by the Duke of MON raosE, the MAI..
qui:, of Bi ANDSORD, Lords HAWK i..SHURY, MEL-
VILLE, and CASTLERE•GH, Mr. Purr, Nir. LONG,
Mr. Heseissos, and several other persons of dis-
tin&ion. Immediately alter their arrival, they
proceeded to inspe& the walls, the dock, the
vari ors bridges and sluices, and the immense
pile of warehouses. Having gratified their curio-
sity in all these points, they took their station
upon the bank of the river, about the time appoint-
ed for inundating the dock. Previous to this grand
opetation, all the ships, vessels, and boats, in the
vicinity, were ordered to keep clear of the sluices
within the possible sphere of the anion of the cur-
rent, as it should flow into the dock. The signal
being given for admitting the water, a moment of
awful suspence foliowed ; at length the slaices were
opened, add old Father Thames rushed forward with
irresistible force, to take possession of his new do-
minions. It is impossible to conceive an adequate
idea of the grandeur of thi' •cene. An earthquake,
or any other convulsion of nature, could not have
produced a greater effeCh The river appeared to
be deserting its bed, and seeking a new channel.
The rapidity of the stream, the foam and dashing of
the swelling waves, and the reflux upon their en-
counter with the opposing sides of the dock, pro-
duced a scene of awe and pleasing terror. During
the first quarter of an hour alter the opening of the
sluices, the water ran with such amazing tepidity,
arid, such immense quantity into the 'Jason' as
to produce an ebb in the Thames, as high. up
as Billingsgate, although it was then running at
nearly fel tide ; a circumstance which, of course,
rendered the influx into the Dock rapid and tre-
mendous in the extreme. We are assured by Ovid,
that when Phaeton dtove the chariot of the Sun out
of its course, some rivers were dried up, and the
fishes left gasping upon dry land. Without iiicar-
ring the traputation of fable or &lion, a similar re-
sult urea have been experienced in London, had
this operation coetinued tot many hours. This may
be easily credited, when we consider, that the
whole of immense eizavation was completely
®it lat four At that • hour the sluices and
draw-bridges were laid dawn, and the water appear-
ed in as quiet and p aceahle possession of that which
has dry land since the deluge, as if it had been
for twen • y years in quiet and uninterrupted possession.
The ,au elation being completed, tne Directors,.
Proprietors, &c accnm;ianied by Mr. PITT, Lord
Mzi.vizzL, and the rest of the Nobility and Gentry
from the West en I o - the tow I, repa red to the Lon-
don Tavern, where a most sumptuous dinner was
provided.
The concourse of speCtators at this grand
wedding of earth and water, for such it may
be called, was immense ; and, if ever the beau-
tiful was happily combined with the tremendous,
it WAS in the contrast between the piCluresque
scenery afforded by the groupes of lovely women,
&c. on the banks, and the terrible rush of the wa-
ters into the bacon.

TRIVIAL PLEASANTRIES
•ELATING TO MORLAND.

The life of Marland, and of his boon compa-
nions—those carters, smugglers, painters, pig dro-
vers, pitchers, And postillions, with which he peo-
pled the magic scenery of his piantes, seems to
have partly resembled that of the wandering Arabs.
They formed a son of moveable gang, hotde, or
commonwealth; that, in whatever situation or cir-
comuances, was sure to be n/wirgr al Inner ; an.l,
however various in other respeas, never failed to
agree in that of belonging to one certain order of
the " guards ;" each subsisting " some how or
otl,et " but All in equal defiance of the :octal dt-

While their chief sojoumed at a house on the
Edgware Road. a gente perlonage, one day,
knocked at the door : a fellow who, it seems, went
by the name of " Winking Bob," was ordered to
reconnoitre :
s. Well, go:crnor; what do you want?"
4. Mr. Moi land it home ?"
a Don't exaetiy know just yet : what's your name,
:fio matter for my name. I suppose : I want to
see him—want to look at his piftures."
By G— you'll neither see his pi:tures, nor
him, unless you nit us a little bit of your name!"
Very odd, Sir! Perhaps I want •o by a pic-
ture."
" Mayhap you may : all's one far that ta( vs! :
but you can't sec hint, 1 tell ye, without your

name."
" Why then tell him, Sir, if you please, that
Lord D--y"
16 Oh, d—n Lords," vociferated Morland out
of a garret-window, " I paint for no Loaf: shut
the door, Bob; and bring up Rattler and the
Puppy''
A gipsey woman, that an artist of my acqnaint-
ance was sketching once in a country church-yard,
asked him if he knew one George Morland " Lord
love him," continued she, " I wish I could find
him out : he lived witii at three days lasi stanmer,
upon Harrow Wild ; and drama the picture of a
child of mine ih.it's since dead ; and now the gen-
tleman who begot the child wuuld give twenty
guineas for the picture I"
It does riot appear that Morland had mints, or
indeed any sit, properly so distinguished : his
nearest approaches to it were by a base, monkey
kind of mischievous esimung ; such as daubing the
handles of things with paint ; di ii,king people's li-
quor, and substituting water in the cup ; and other
exploits of that cast. The original and masterly
powers of the artist interest one pe6haps too much
is the history of so worthless and so apparently
spark a man. Yet there are some stories illustrative
of his singular character, that tell remarkably well ;
as, for instance, his visit, with his myrmidons, to
Mr. Wigston, at Treat Park ; and many others;
but they would hardly do in peat. So, expearng
that even the above may nfed apology,
1 remain, Mr. Editor,
Your humble Servant, S. S.