The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-10 00:00:00

GREENWICH FAIR.

The weather is not very propitious for the pleasure-hunt-
ing population of a pent-up city in its annual tour to that
great resort of Cockneydom—Greenwich fair. The sky
wears a threatening, lowering look, suggestive of April
showers, but an occasional gleam of sunshine offers a ray of
hope to those who, for weeks past, have looked forward
with that joy which labour alone can give to a great holi-
day, and by land and water the impatient crowd badege
London-bridge. Hurrying on through the crowded streets,
or losing itself in intricate passages, on flows the tide
of human life ; or borne more rapidly along, close
packed in the little steamers cleaving their way
on the pellucid bosom of Old Father Thames, all the
men, women, and children in London seem bent on a
grand pilgrimage from west to east. Some divide their
favours between penny boats and second-class railway car-
riages. Others, again, bravo the perils of the Pool, and
make the entire voyage perfectly reckless of the tales of
shipwreck of which they may have heard or read, and land
near that magnificent home where those whose youth has
been passed in maintaining the supremacy of England find
in their age shelter and repose. The hardy skipper and the
sturdy railway official have busy times of it. There is a
good deal of pushing, and jostling, and scrambling for
places, as there is also in the higher world. Occasionally, a
husband has to deplore a temporary separation from his
wife and the provision basket—without which, by the
way, much to the chagrin of publicans and waiters, no true
E nglishwornan, ever undertakes a journey—or a mother may
be heard deploring the waywardness of her prcgeny, but, as
a general rule, all are totally happy, and are, like sensible
people, prepared to make the best of it. We, too, have our
annual custom—that of describing Greenwich Fair. How
are we to do it? All fairs are very much alike. Green-
wich Fair is the same this year as it was last year, but
alas !it is not the same as it was in the olden time. Its
glory is gradually and perceptibly departing. We will
not enter into a disquisition as to its cause; we will only
express a hope that it is traceable to a higher and
more refined taste on the part of the people. Greenwich
Fair has still its attractions for those who delight in
shows, gingerbread, and confusion. The theatrical world
on a, small scale is duly represented there—the tragic masse
s
being personified by the i 0 decayed gentleman wise lives
most upon his own mirth ;" and, by a strange antithesis,
laughter-loving comedy finds its exponent in some. poor
player, bustling about with the
„(I°Tleitruni tpteret is the
perplexed an.sdcaainnxdrooufsvraoir.
of a man who has the oppressive; burden. on
music
muting other people's merriment; what!:_is repre-
sented by the historian of the
g cht pretty
ar
little ratcatcher's dauhter.
i
nwohtoos en educationly
can
he
e nsaoni stricte
a ny
z.ti
yattentionou mayna has eyeonuTriem paid,ppgr. "
tion
anthaveseleced, but he has taker! out the civil degree of
" learned " that college wherein he had studied in his
youth. There are g
iant! and d w•arfs, and also mermaids, but
these are rather at a discount in popular favour—a fact to
be attributed perhaps to the recent revelations of a e
showman, illustrating how such monstrosities may be Teat
up" for the peculiar edification of the British public, with
considerable advantage to the fortunate possessor. The ele-
phant, with a strong predilection for swallowing whole bags
of cakes and
,oranges ; the African lion, and the " Royal
Bengal tiger, "are are stern realities of a totally different class,
and as such receive with manifest indifference the homage
of the mob.. Bidding adieu to caravans, booths, and merry-
go-rounds, avoiding the importunities of the privileged pro-
prietors of various games of unknown origin, all of which
tend materially to reduce the amount of your superfluous
cash—shunning the hospitable invitations of persevering
touters to " excellent accommodation with tea and shrimps
at M. per head," you wend your way to the glorious old
park with its fine old trees, and to the heath with its bracing
breezes. Here the English nation seems to be engaged in
a vast pic-nic, with the obj ect of devouring everything known
as "articles of general consumption." The demolition of beef
and cheese on the part of 'the " parients" is truly annwis.