The Sun.
London, England, 1809-10-31 00:00:00

TOM MOOR.

Torn Moor, the linen draper, of Fleet-street,
standing af-his,door one day, a countryman came up"
to httn with a nest of JaekdaWs, and accosting him
says,.r Meaiter, wool ye bony a nest of dawi ?"
" No, I dont want any r " Measter (replied the
man) sell 'em all cheap ; you shall have the
whole nest for noinpence." " I don't want 'em
(answered ,Torn Moot) so go about your businesi."
As the man was goingaway", one of the dawsPoptied
up his head, and cried, 44 Marl, Mauk." Parnu
(says • Tom Moor) the bird knows my name.
Halloo, couhiryman, what will you take forthut
bird ?" —" \Vhoy, you shall have him for three-
pence." Torn Moor bought him, had a cage made,
and hung him up in the shop.—The journeymen
took much notice of the bird, and would frequently

tap at the- bottom of the cage, and say, " Who are I
you ? who are you ?" and immediately reply," Tom
Moor of Fleet-street." In a short time the Jack-
daw learnt these words ; 'and if he' wanted vitluals
or water, would strike his bill against the cage, turn '
up the white of his-eye, cock his bead and cry,
" who are you ? who are you—Tom Moor of Fleet-
streei;Torn Moor, of Fleet=street." Torn MoOt
was fond of gaming, and often lost large sums of
money. Finding his business neglealedt'in.his ab-'
sence, be had a small hazard table set up in one
corner of his dining-room, and invited a party of
friends to play at it. The Jackdaw had by this time
become familiar, his cage was left open, and he
hopped in every part of Ale-bowie ; sometimes
,he
got into the dining--room, where the gentierrien
were at play. •';.One Of them being aeorrant winner,
the others would say, " damn it how IA nicks 'em!"
The bird learnt these words also,
.and adding them
to the former, would call, ". who are yoU ? • Who are
you ?—Tom Moor of Fleet-street, Tom Moor of
Fleet-street—Damn -it hovi he nicks 'em !" Tom

Moor, from losses and neglect of business, failed in
trade, and' beCame a prisoner in the Fleet.—He took
his bird with him, and lived 'on the master's sine,;,
supported by his friends in a decent manner. They'
would sometimes ask, " what brought you here '?"
When he used to lift up hixhands and answeril"bad
company, by G--." The bird learnt this likewise,
and at the end of his former words would say,
" what brought you here ? what brought you here?"
and (to imitate his master) lift up his pinions, and
cry, " bad company, -by G—." Some of Toni
Moor's friends, died, others went abroad :'.and: by
degrees he was totally deserted, and removed to the
common side of the prison, where the distemper
had broke out.—He caught it, and in the last stage
of life, lying on a straw bed, the poor bird (who
had been.two days without food or water) came to
his feet, and striking his bill on the floor,. called,
Who are you.? who are -you'?—Tom Moor, of
Fleet-street, Tom M00r,,, of Fleet-street—Damn it,
hov_lie nicks 'em ! Damn it,-how he nicks :'em
-What brought you.here ? 'what brought you here -?
Bad company by -0--. Bad company- by G—.
Torn Moor, who attended to the bird; was struck
with his'words, and refletting on himself, cried out,
".Gt')ott -God ! to what a wretched situation am I
reduced ! My father when he died, left ine 'a good
fortune, art( ,u, e,tablilhed trade. I spent my. for-
tune, ruined ill business, and 'am. now dying in a
loathsome gaol, and to complete all, keeping, that
-poor thiogeonfined without any support. 11l endea-
vour to dootae piece of instice before I die, by-setting
him at liberty."--He made shift to crawl tram his
strawbed, opened the casement, and out the bird flew.
A flight of Jackdaws from the Temple was going
over the goal, and Toth MOor's bird mixed amongst
them.. The gardeners were then laying the plats of
the Temple Gardens, and .as often as they placed
them in the day, the Jackdaws pulled them up by
night. They got a gun, and attempted. to shoot
some of them ; but, being cunning birds they always
placed one of them as a watch in the stump of a hol-
low tree; who, as soon as the gun- was-
;cried, " Mauk, Mauk," and away they all flew ; so
that the man could never shoot one of them. The
gardeners were advised to get -a net ; .and the first
night it was spread they caught:fifteen. Torn Moor's
bird was-amongst them. One of, the 'pen took ,the
net into the garret of an. uninhabited house, fastened
the door and windows, and turned the birds loose,—
" .Now (says he) you black rascals I'll be revenged
On you." Taking hold of the first at hand, he twists his
neck ,and,throwing him down,cries, ". there goes one."
Torn Mon's bird,who had hopped upon a beam in the
Corner of the room unobserved, as the man laid- hold
of the second, calls, " Damn it how he nicks em !"
'The man. alarmed,'cries, " Sure I heard a voice;
but the house is uninhabited, and the 'door. fast ; it
could only be imagination." On laying hold of a
third and twisting his neck, Tom Moor's bird again
says," Damn it how he nicks em P' The man dropt
the bird he had in hand..ancl turning :towards
where, the voice came from, obierved the other with
his motlth open, and calls out, " Who are yo ?".to
which the bird answered, " Tom Moor ot..Fleet-
street, Tom Moor of Fleet-sfreet ! " The devil you
are ! And what brought you here ?" Tom Moor's
bird,, lifting up his pinions, answered, " Bad com-
pany by G---, Bad company, by G—." The fellow,
frightened almoseout of his wits, opened the. -door,
ran down stairs, and out of the house, followed-by
the birds, who by this means saved their lives, and
gained their liberty. . .

A ludicrous circumstance occurred at the Crown I
Inn, at Portsmouth, on. Wednesday evening :—A I
number Of Officers gave a grand ball and supper to
their female friends no male was allowed to be of •
the party, except he was in uniform. The party
was so numerous; that no room belonging to the
house was sufficiently large for the supper; the
stable was, accordingly, thoroughly -cleaned, and
fitted, up in a temporary manner-; the sides, &c.
were completely covered with flags and pennants of
ships. The supper was cold, and the cloth was
laid early in the evening, the delicacies put on; and
it was left for a short time.by the attendants ; upon.
the return of one of them, 'to. his great surpriSe• he
found an uninvited visitor, who was not-con:lent
wi►h being an intruder, but, in the most rude Man-
ner, took - his seat upon the table, and was eaiog
the jellies, and other choice delicacies,; this vas
no other than a monkey, who had'. the range of the.
premises, and had got from the loft through an aper-
ture.