The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-28 00:00:00

ADVERTISING FOR A WIFE.

Our columns (says the Manchester Guardian) have re-
cently contained several advertisements for a wife ; and
of some of these certain wags in Rochdale have taken
advantage to play off some very successful hoaxes on the
advertisers. One of these would-be Benedicks, in con-
sequence of a correspondence with a Miss " Lavinih,"
proceeded the other day to Tweedale's Hotel, Rochda'e,
in the hope of meeting the fair one who had so kindly
responded to his pressing invitation to give him an inter-
view ; but, though he displaN ed the tokens previously
agreed upon, no "Lavinia" met his expectant gaze.
His disappointment, however, was somewhat lessened
by a young gentleman greeting him by name, and intro-
ducing himself as a brother of the young lady, for whose
absence he proceeded to apologise. Another gentleman
entered, who was introduced as a second brother of
"Lavinia ;" and he was speedily followed by a third, a
fourth, and so on, till the candidate for matrimony might
have exclaimed with Macbeth—

A fourth ! Start eyes !.

What ! will the line stretch out to the craci of doom !

Another yet ! A seventh ! I'll see no more.
Suffice it, that, before all the fifty brothers of Lavinia
had been introduced, the advertiser became rather pain-
fully sensible of the fact that- he had been most vexa-
tiously duped. One of the brothers, stepping upon a
chair, read aloud, amidst much laughter, all the corres-
pondence which had passed between the gentleman and
the "lovely young Lavinia." The advertiser, though
said to be an extensive vinegar manufacturer, manifested
no acidity on the occasion ' on the contrary, he frankly
acknowledged that he had been taken in, and threw
down a sovereign to be spent by the extensive brother-
hood. He added that lie had that morning, at the Vic-
toria Railway station, Manchester, met the seventeenth
lady who had replied to his advertisement, and there
were others with whom he had not yet had the pleasure
of an interview ; but it was his intention, when he had
seen them all, to select the one he most approved, and
honourably to marry her. The gentleman was then al-
lowed to retire, amidst the laughter, mingled with ap-
plause, of the fraternity of fifty ! Another advertise-
ment was answered in the name of Miss " Annie Wcod-
vide • " some correspondence ensued as to marriage and
its relative duties ; but the " lady " having ventured to
suggest an interview in Rochdale, the advertiser took
alarm, and wrote to her, acknowledging the kind atten-
tion shown to him, but intimating that ho was in the
habit of rising too early in a morning to be induced to
pay a visit to Rochdale. Another adventure proved
more successful. All the preliminaries in the case having
been satisfactorily settled, an arrangement was made for
the advertiser to meet the lady wholiad favourably re-
sponded to his appeal. Here is the literal copy of his
letter, accepting the invitation to an interview :
" Manchester, the 31st of August, 1855.—Dear Wo-
man —I received yours at the Guardian office of the
20th, to which I reply how that I will meet you, at the
Rochdale station at 12 of the o'clock, on Thursday next,
ensuing the date bereof.—N.B. You may recognise me,
with a piece of writing paper something like your. note,
carrying it in my right band, hanging it down at full
length of the arm, by my aide.—From L. 98.—J. KAY."
On the receipt of this interesting illiterate epistle, a
female servant at one of the hotels in Rochdale was in-
duced to personate Mr. J. K.'s fair correspondent, and
after a brief interview at the Rochdale railway station,
where he appeared making the signal described, he con-
sented to accompany the lady to Tweedale's Hotel—the
head quarters, it would seem, for these tender meetings.
On arriving there he was received by a number of gen-
tlemen assembled, with such marks of attention as soon
convinced him that ho was caught in a snare unmatricno-
nial, and he became very desirous to retire, but his
friends were reluctant to lose his agreeable company so
800 D. The bellman was sent round the town with the fol-
lowing announcement : " On view, agentleman in want of
a wife. May be seen at No. 3, Tweedale's Hotel." This
brought a large accession of admiring friends, and one of
the company having adroitly, and unperceived by Mr. J.
Kay, stuck a white s'ar or cockade on the front of his
hat, he was readily distinguished, and received his
complement of undivided. attention. Visitors flocked
into the room in rapid succession, each in turn lssing in-
troduced by a master of the ceremonies to the gentle-
man who had advertised for a wife. This continued till
it was too much for the endurance of Mr. J. Kay ; he
became ill, wept, and implored permission to depart ;
and at length, after having been detained several hours,
he was allowed to go, on paying for a bottle of wine to
solace his tormentors. A few more such denouementa,
and who would advertise for a wife ?

MARKET NEWS.-(THIS DAY.)

HAY MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD.-01:1 meadow hay, 4/ 01 to 6/ 6s ; new
ditto, 4110 s to 5/ 12s; old clove', N 1.06 to 61 15s ; new
ditto, 41 108 to 61 Os ; and straw, 11 48.0 d to 1/ 8s Od per
Load. Trade rather dull.

CUMBEHLAND.-01(1 meadow hay, 41 5s to 61 613: new
ditto 4/ 108 to 5/ 15s ; old Clover, 10s to 6/ 12s ; and new
litto, 41 12s to 6/ Os ; and straw. 11 5s to 1/ 10s per load.
A moderate supply, and a sluggish demand.
WHITECHAPEL.—OId meadow hay, 41 5s to 61 03; new
ditto, 4/ lOs to 5/ 15s ; old clover, 4/ ICI3 to 71 Os ; new
ditto, 41 15s to 61 8s; and straw, 1/ 4s to 11 83 per load.
Trade steady.