The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-17 00:00:00

THE OLD CROWN HOUSE.

" The armourer's daughter and her cavalier protector had
now, for some time, been wending their way through Dig-
beth—which abounded in tanners and dyers—into the
quarter of the smiths, as Deritend might very properly
have been styled, since nearly all those of Birmingham at
this epoch resided in it—a quarter byno means then merit-
ing its unhandsome modern nickname of Dirty End, the
true etymology of the term being probably The-Rea-Gate-
End, from a toll-gate established at the bridge over the river
Rea, where certain entry-dues of the Lords of Birmingham
were le7ied.

"It was, in fact, one of the most substantial and wealthy
districts of Birmingham at that time, the principal trade
of the town being thus chiefly exercised in it—the Edg-
baston of its day, in some respects, though not in the
articles of external beauty and embellishment, in conse-
quence of the mature of the business carried on in it.
But here the masters of the Birmingham manufactures
and principal men of the town resided in the midst of
their work and work-people. Our simple-mannered and
congenial ancestors had not yet dreamed of the habits
of seclusion and separation between the classes of society,
which modern luxury and super-refinement have intro-
duced.: On all sides Deritend accordingly resounded
with the music of hammer and anvil, although the general
style of the buildings was that of the most substantial resi-
dent citizenship. On all sides—from deep caverns of soot-
hung timber-work—blazed the fires of unnumbered forges ;
on all sides could be heard the laborious pantings of hun-
dreds of pairs of bellows, like that of the lungs of giants
engaged in some mountain-heaving taskwork.
" And so the young pair, whom chance had thus mated,
paused 200 years ago—as any of the myriad toilers of Bir-
mingham may at this day—under the eaves and before the
wide porch of the mansion and workshop of the Firebrace
Smiths, known as the Old Crown House. And the careful
restorations recently effected as a labour of love by the judi-
cious antiquarian proprietor, probably leave the structure
muchas it appeared to Edward Holte when he raised his eyes
upon the announcement with which Dorothy Firebrace
broke what was becoming an embarrassing and entangling
conversation, in spite of the secret feeling of satisfaction
and pleasure in each other's good looks and congenial
society that certainly ran through their whole brief asso-
ciation hitherto."

The story of Dorothy and Edward Holte is inte-
resting and attractive throughout, and the historical
scenes are skilfully interwoven with the romance;
but while we award due commendation to the
chief hero and heroine of the tale, we cannot ad-
mire the extravagant episode of the loves of the
haughty Arabella Holte and the deformed
blacksmith, Tubal Bromycham, " the lord
of Birmingham." Eliot Warburton would have
regarded with dismay the portrait of Prince
Rupert as depicted by this author. The
Rupert classed with " the Cavaliers," by the author
of " the Crescent and the Cross," is here portrayed
as nothing else but a butcher and a ruffian. His
pursuit of the insane Arabella and her " sensa-

tional" destruction is unworthy of ^a
writer so well
able to excite an interest in the legitimate province
of historical romance. The following passage, how-
ever, requires no comment :