The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-29 00:00:00

BARTHOLOMEW FAIR.

petition was presented from parties interested, that the
first day of the fair might be fixed on the first Tuesday in Sep-
tember for the future, instead of being held on the 3d of
September, on whatever day that might fall ; and the reason
chiefly urged by the petitioners was, that the cattle market was
prevented whenever it fell out on Monday or Friday. The
petition also prayed that the passage of carriages of all sorts
might be stopped on cattle market days, till after twelve o'clock
at noon.

Alderman WOOD said, that whatever might be done with
the petition, there was one thing which certainly wanted altera-
tion. In a few days a proclamation would go forth from the
Town Clerk, according to a resolution %kat by a Common
Council, held many years ago, forbidding shows, interludes,
and other immoral and unlawful spectacles ; upon which,
however, the Corporation did not shew any great reluctance to-
improve their funds by taking money far the hire of the ground
from the very persons whose exhibitions were proclaimed
against. Surely there was something grossly inconsistent in
this conduct. If the Corporation were not disposed to refuse
the money for these shows and interludes, let them prevent the
Town Clerk from issuing the hypocritical proclamation.
Mr. Dixox said, that the issuing the proclamation was a
business which belonged to the Court of Aldermen, and Might
have been discussed last Tuesday, if certain gentlemen, whose
business it was to have been there, would have attended the
Lord Mayor, and have helped him to make a Court. fie re-
gretted the increase of that disposition which more and more
prevailed to do away with all the amusements of the labouring
classes. He had lived to see them one after the other abolished,
until there were scarcely any left. He approved of any regula-
tions which could be adopted to preserve better order in the
fair ; but they ought not to do it away. lie questioned much
whether they had the power to alter the day, because he be-
lieved that the charter expressly directed that it should be held
on a certain day in September.
Alderman WOOD said, that it was not for want of his pre-
sence in town that the Lord .Mayor could hold no Court. He
only left town on Wednesday, and he only 'heard of the sum-
moning a Court. of Aldermen on the same day. The Worthy
Member was mistaken, however, as to his other fact. The
order had issued from the Common Council, as would appear
from thournals, for disallowing plays, shows, and interludes.
%Voodthorpe then read the order which was voted in
Common Council on the 17th of June, 1762.

Mr. FAvELL would not do any thing to suppress the rea-
sonable enjoyments of 'the people of England; but it had al-
ways been understood that Bartholomew-fair produced other
consequences. It was fruitful of riots, breaches of the peace,
foul and violent disorders. The time of the Magistracy was
busily taken up irk hearing cases of outrage and all kinds of
immorality which were transacted in that scene of disgusting
vice. All parties had agreed that those faits were neither more
nor less than nuisances. They had been mainly abolished all
round London, the centre of which city was still disgtaced with
a spe.ctacle worse than any of them.
The LORD MAYOR said, that if the resolution remained
upon the books, it Would be his duty to act upon it, and put
down the immoral and unlawful shows and sport* which were
proclaimed. He thought that they must all feel with him the
necessity of doing every thing to reform the morals of the peo-
ple. In his simple opinion, it would be highly injurious in
times like the present, when their was so laudable a zeal to dis.
countenance vice among the influential classes, to annul a reso.
lotion so deliberately acted upon for many years, as if they
'wished the public to'understand that they gave their countenance
to the mischievous and demoralizing exhibitions and practices
of that place. If the resolUtion were-nut rescinded, he pledged
himself to enforce it rigorously. •
Mr. TAYLOR would rather see the order rescinded.• All
persons were not of one opinion as to the superior inunotality of
the shows in Bartholomew-ftlir. He had seen most of them, and
he could safely declare that he saw a great deal more wicked.
nets about Covent-garden and Drury-lane theares whenever he
went there. He was as much a friend to the morals and reli-
gion of the people as any man; but he would be no Oaistote in-
a party made against the. arnuernents of the people, while
these of their superiors remained without correction, though
needing.it much more. He concurred in opinion with the Hon.
Alderman, that it was rank hypocrisy to put their own town-
clerk to proclaim againq shows and interludes, while they had
no scruple to draw a revenue from them.

Alderman WArrnalitx said, that he did not believe it was
in the power of the Court to put down the fa;r, or to wake any
important alteration in the holding of it. The importance of
the subject had been felt before now, and the regulations were
much better than they were before. The fast question was—
could they put an end to the fair ? If not, then he would say,
they 4,uglit not to put an end to the more innocent parts of it.__
The shall did not work much demoralization—the wild beasts
less. The conjurors and the wonder workers did not do any
great deal of mischief. The worst evils were the assembling of
gangs of depredators, and the youth who were allured into the
tippling houses. The drinking and the riots were the worst
things in the fair, and the hardest to prevent, so long as the fair,
lasted. He believed that the resolution and the proclamation
v equallye absurd. The shows could not be
been done long since.' The rights
opfoundedfumt
down,an y u
different
oo
rn ii tt
wwieurels do n s were concerned. The Court wanted
information. They ought to investigate carefully in a case of

PRrcv SEvENt;r,rccr.

this nature, and see well what they could do(rath cc than 1; astirtl
resolutions which might be found impracticable. WithregkrA to
the other part of the position, to shut Out carts 'and earriagses on
cattle days, it had been tried already, and the experiment •
The petitioners, like all other folks, knew well what was cony? •
nient for themselves. :The Court must feel for•the public. If
remembered well the shutting up of the passage from Long
lane through Smithfield, and theinexpressible confusion there
was in forcing the carts and coaches to find their way round ire
Gray's.,-inn-lane. People seemed to forget that there was cc
other entrance flout the northern side of. the metropolis into't
city. It would be another question entirely, if they could re-
solve upon having a spaCious and handsome road opened, se•-as
to give ready access to all the neighbouring cotknties. Thpy
Might then 'hope, if not to-brink back the trade of the city, at
least to preserve what remained of it..
Mr. GALLOWAY said, that they ought to keep in view the
tight state of,the question, which Wale whether the Court could,
alter the day of holding the fair to the first Tuesday in Sep •
tember. If they had that power, then could they do away wits.
• the charter. In his (minion they had notthe power of changint
' the day. He would be for doing away with the fair altogethek.
'No one would suspect him of the wish .to takeaway t!.e amuse-
4:i:tents or lesson the injoyinenis of the humbler classes. Tiie
ytteation was, did they derive real pleasure and amusement from
the deights of Bartholomew fair? He rather tho Light that they
did not, and that they grasped other and more pernicious grati—
fications from it. The fair might once have been given-.as. a
benefit. Circumstances had altered, and now it was a nuisance
•and a reproach. They ought7therefore to remove the mischief,
and endeavour to have the intended good' adminiStcred uz.;ier
other auspices. An object so deeply, affecting the essent.W.
morality of the people ought not to exist in the heart of a great
metropolis, where the riateriel of vice, from the density Of the
population, was furnished in such abundance. The same
power which generated the evil most be equal. to its removal.
This Court ought to take care to make the representations neces-
sary for the accomplishment of that object. It wis, however,
very uncandid to proclaim by their officer against shows, from
which they benefitled their finances; nor could he see any at: -
vantage from reducing the plays and interludes, unless they
abolished the fair, and with it the haunts of drunkennes and
idleness, which were the most crying evils. The only innocent
amusements were those derived from the shows and play;. They
did not draw the people off front reflection and rational cativtr-
sation ; and it would really grieve him to hear of the pretnaVare
removal of the tragic muse from Bartholomew fair, while tae
Amusements of drinking and tippling in the houses about
were suffered to remain.

Mr. JONES said it was all very fine to talk-about the popti•
lation of this country furnishing the materials of vice. Bed z:o
other country a dense population ? Let them look at the dense
population of Paris. But there the Government did not guar-
rel with thipublic amusementri: they rather chose totontribitte
to them. Not a fortnight passed without. giving them a, fte,
and wine provided for all corners. Be disapproved of the prac-
tice of taking away all lively sports arid shows from the poor
people. The effect of it must be necessarily to drive 111,,m to
drinking, and pleasures of a grosser kind. •
The petition was then referred to the Committee of Ci:y
Lands.

Alderman Wool) moved to suspend the order of 1762. un-
der which the town clerk proclaim• against the showg, c:
Bartholomew Fair.

Mr. Rou T x moved the previous question, which was carrk,(4.
The LORD MAYOR said, that. he was not zealous to take
away the pleasures and amusements of the labouring classes :
but he had thought that there could be nothing upon,
parties were so thoroughly agreed as in designating Barti:Olo-
mew Fair as a nuisance.

Mr. ROUTH moved to refer the whole subject to.the Cotn -
mittee on City Lands fo report upon the hest means oP•rigu-
lating the fair, or abolishing it altogether. • ,
Mr. St.4.DE would not object to abolishing the fair; btit La
thought the cattle-market no less disgraceful to the centre a
wealthy city, and certainly it was productive of much gel:aril:: -
eonvnience.—The petition was referred accordingly.:

•
• EQUITABLF -LOAN BILL. . - •
The Committee reported their success in opposing tile .late
bill, and complained that the Parliament would not helVie
Corporation as a party specially interested. The report ;cc-f--
tained congratulations of Ultimate success, acd pr&ses be.snlyt;d
on the Lord Chancellor, the Earl :,f Lauderdale, :Ind
Waithman, for their Zealous
services to the public in causing-
it to be thrown out.

Mr. CROCKER hoped that the Court would look welt after
any attempts to revive the bill, and that not only the wth3le city
but every ward of it, would ring with opposition if the scheme
should be again attempted.
Alderman WAIT iiazais said, that he hoped the opposition
would be as effectual against any other jobbing schemes as that
very notorious one. He was **convinced that individual energy
was generally the best way of carrying on affairs of business--
Not but that there were some objects which were most easily
attainable by united efforts. His chief objection to the
able Loan Company was, that they set out with stigmatizirg a
whole Company was, that they set out with stigmatiziag
whole class of tradesmen, while their own pretences proved
them to be as worldly minded as any others. He .would,rot
willingly say any thing against so good and useful a body of
people as the Quaker; but in lending their influence to that
scheme, they had done that which was forbidden by the rules
of their order. As to the machinery of it, he could say. nothing
equal to a description of it. Why, the illustrious Blacking
and the Milk of Roses' puffs were nothing to it. How it hap-
pened, he could not exactly say, though he could venture to
guess that there were shares distributed among the Members.—
The House of Commons divided strongly in favour of the .bill
—only 12 vofing against it, while the !Tense of Lords it was
thrown out by a majority. It was generally known • that eeta.
taro gentlemen connected with the daily newspapers were sorter
ed into acquiescence. He would give the Court just one
sample of the means applied for puffing it in that quarter, and
leave • them to, guess what motives could have induded the
writer to be so urgent with the public. On the 2d of eApsll.
1824, appeared in one Morning Paper which he would. not
name, the following notice, given with the imperative Style of
" we," and being avowedly the editor's article:—.
" Eqztitable Loan Bank—W e are informed that a ptiblitlitm-
puny is about to be instituted under the above title, for the pur-
pose of furnishing the poor and needy with temporary loans on
the same principle as the pawnbrokers do, but at one half the
interest charged by the said pawnbrokers—that is to say, 1411)
per cent. instead of 20, with some other ameliotatiOna to the
borrowers, such as _an extension of the time from one to two
years before the security shall, become forfeited, &v. ; and'it is
expected that at some future time even this reduced interest et
10 per cent. may be done away, and the company derive ample
profit from the sale of forfeited pledges alone. inure are to t)::
seven different stalions,or offices, in the first instance, in co'-iy e
nient situations throughout the metropolis, with one head office
or establishment, for which the old College of Physichuis in
'Warwick-lane has been-considered an eligible bn''Theibf,
experimental capital is to be two millions, it. sh:des .of 1001.,
which we hear have not oily been all subkribed, but MOreihen
• 3,000 applications above that amount have been received ; :and
we also hear 5 per cent. premium is already offered for the Shares
even before any of them have been brought to market. A. pre-
liminary meeting of the proposed cdaripany, we understarM, will
be held this day, under the patronage of his Royal Highness the
Duke of York, Me. Buxton, M.P., has been proposed us a Di-
rector, and so has Sir Richard liirnie; but we are informed the
worthy Magistrate declined it, on the ground that he would
thereby become, in sortie degree, a pawnbroker himself. ancethat
would interfere with his Magisterial duties when called upento
sit in judgment on his then would-be brethren—the pawn-
brokers of the town. The idea of it, we believe, originated with
Sir William Congreve."
He appealed to the Court, if, among the annals of ludicrous par-
fing—whether of Elephants' Milk or Macassor oil—there was
ever any which exceeded this?
After some further discussion, the Report was ordered to be
printed, ands copy sent to every Member of the Court. -
The Generel Purposes Committee presented a Report for af-
fixing the city's seal to a petition to the Lord Chief Justice
and the other Justices of the Court of Common Pleas, praying
them to rescind the order made in Easter Term, in-the fifth
year of his Majesty's reign, for extending the Rules of the
Fleet-prison ; which being read was agreed to, and the peti-
tion sealed accordingly ; and the Committee were directed to
present the samein such manner as they may be advised.
having The
pGreenpae rr
ea ld Pau rbpiollsefso
rCalo mt
emr int
gt e aantds
oalleensenditnedg 4thßeeArltt'of
cgi
'Common Council relative to persons carrying on business with-
in the city, of being' free thereof, which was read; and the
Bill was als read a first and second time, and' referred back to
the Committee to fill up the blanks, to print the name, and send
acolyAtdh
jeoureornfed.to every member previously to the third read-
jnit

THE ETOILE AGAIN.
-E.NoListi .SUPERSTITION-POPISH ILLU-

MINATION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
S 1 A —Circumstances have delayed longer than
wished some remarks on my old friend, the
Etoile. I should have said something on his re-
view of M. de Stael, but you have given it to him
so handsomely on this score, that I feel no regret

Ist being anticipated.
The Etoile is a hitter enemy of England. This
is all very well, if he were but a fair eneiny., 'We
always expect a Frenchman to have those little

natural prejudices against our country which are
the necessary results of rivalry—
"s Scinius, et ham Teniam petimusque darnusque vicissim:"
—Put when he misrepresents and distorts the

clearest principles of reasoning, and transgresses
Va. most obvious conditions of what may he called
'the international law of controversy, it is neces-
sary that our adversary should be called to order.
The Editor <of a Dorsetshire Paper, little ima-

giving, poor man! in the simplicity of his heart,
that what he .was going to say could be converted

;Low an argument against the civilization of Eng-
land, gave an account of a poor woman who was
much surprised that her child had remained sick
after putting a wild duck's head in its mouth,
sad several other ceremonies equally efficacious.
The Mode, however, translates the paragraph,
dilates on it, and with an irony which, in the bit-
terness of his anger, he does not perceive to be
ridiculous to excess, speaks of the highly en-1
,lightened country in which such transactions
occur.
All adjectives, Mr. Editor, are relative terms,
and, therefore, I apprehend that country is en-
lightened, which, in comparison with most others,
is found to contain a large proportion of intelli-
gence. If this be the definition of an enlightened
country, which I apprehend not even the Jesuit of
the Elate will deny, then must the Etoile prove,
to give his irony any effect, that a transaction
-like that recorded in the Dorsetshire Journal
cannot be paralleled in the greater number of
ations in the world. Now, this he cannot do;
_A defy him to allege one country from which I
will not produce him a modern similar instance.
"His own I will spare him the trouble of referring
-to for not. many days since, I read in his own
columns of a woman in France persecuted for
W/TCHCit

Superstitions Of this nature -will exist among
the vulgar in all countries, until education is yet
.more generally diffused than at present ; and -in •
-no country is the advance of education more rapid
-than in this. But -I beg leave to remind the
..,gfigie. again, that. there is a vast difference be-
-tween superstitions -.which .are tolerated or ua-
-heeded, and those which are openly sanctioned
sod comosiuded by a Government : and to give
shim say opinion, which, although he may not heed
its is the opinion of better and greater than either
"him or myself, namely, that Egypt, when she
sacrificed to crocodiles and onions, Athens, when
she poisoned Socrates, Rome, when she drowned
godstealers and monkies, and lastly,
France, now that she protects her flour and water
-divinities with axe and scaffold, may be com-
pared with es, without England suffering much
ia the seal© of intellect.
The:Etol.',etdespises the poor woman of Dor-
metshire, and wisely and sensibly makes her a
sample of English intelligence. What, th'-refore,
does he think of the Government of a country
authorising and commanding the exhibition and
adoration of some old rags belonging to the Vir-
gin Mary and Sohn the Baptist ? This profane
Ana ridiculous mockery has actually taken place
at Aix-la-Chapelle, 'What says the Etoile? Of
eenese he must be all enlightened indignation.
Hear and beliese, people of France c. this calum-
niator of England records the processions, the
worsbippings, the pilgrimages, and all this im-
, pious. nonsense, not only with complacency, but
with pleasure Iced approval, and speaks of the
high value of4ltese RELICKS I And this
is no obscure villager's simple credulity, but it is
the avowed belief of Priuces and Nobles
Benighted, therefore, as we are, w e are perhaps
not quite so destitute of guidance as to look up
for illumination to the Parisian star—Hence be
-as baneful influence

T: ~UTA N:'y tJ :

A funeral of a very novel description took
place in the new burying ground in Church.
street, on Sunday afternoon, by the sect, who,
we believe, call themselves,• " Bryani:es." The
deceased was conveyed from his former dwelling
in Thomas.street, by, six men, who supported
the coffin, without any pall, by means of three
girths passed under it, and staves passed through
the girths, over the coffin. A vast number of
personiattended, attracted by the society sing-
ing thrOugh the streets and in the burying.
greund. "flus Royal Highness the Duke of Yo arc
rode vp doria . the ceremuny,..and made several
iaquiries respecting it.---(Brighton Gazate.)

LITERARY NOTICE.

TRUTH AND FASHION, a SKETCH. By F. R-N.

Though the fair Author of this Work has
thought proper to conceal her name, we 'have
-reason to-believe that she can 'claim a literary de-
scent from both of her parents. Her father, if
we are rightly informed, was well. known_ in • lite-.
rary and political circles, and her mother was
justly respected for poetical powers, which were
always directed to 'moral purposes. Depending
on the same information, we are induced to infer,
that the chief motive which has induced the Au-'
thor of the present Work to suppress her name is,
that she has the care of a select number ofjemale
pupils, whose parents might imagine that the
education of their children would not be sufli-
ciently
attended to if the instructress devot-
ed herself chiefly to literary pursuits. However
that objection might apply in other cases, we
conceive that the Author of this SKETcH, as it is.l
modestly called, has advanced more claims to the
important office of educating female youth, rather
than lessened those claims, as her Work is,cha-
racterized by morality and a deep sense of reli-
gion, as well as by considerable observation and
knowledge of life. Iler characters are' highly
coloured, but there is nolascination in the por-
traits of vice, though perhaps her favourite.cha-
racters are exalted beyond the ordinary,,or extra.
ordinary, practice of the world. The -contraSt
between the characters of. M4tildd, the 'fa-
shionable coquet, and her sister Exists, whO is
described as wholly faultless, is welt •sustained.
Sidney Stanhope is represented as one of the
greatest Poets of the age, which seems to be im-
proper, as the age has heard nothing of him. llis
assumption of the name of Algernon Bray, can-
not be admitted as ~robable in the present state
of Society, except upon the stage. Perhaps Ma-
tilda is made too thoughtless, dissipated, and ex-
travagant, considering that she is represented
as having still a nature susceptible of
,kindred
affections, and of self-reproach. Lady Thistledown
is a -good portrait of a Lady wholly devoted to
fashionable life, and Lady Kinvarra is still better
drawn, as blending the feelings of that life with
caprice and sensibility. The story maintains a
strong hold upon the feelings, and it is impos-
'Bible to take-up the work and not pursue it to the
end with solicitude and syMpattiy. We see eo
reason why the child Medora should be struck
with incurable blindness, as.her calamity operates
to no moral purpose, except to shew that a career
of fashionable dissipation deadens, if not extin-
gnishes, even maternal feelings.. The cha'racter of
Mrs-. Daisy should have been omitted, as too dis-
gusting in artifice and hypocrisy. The language
is easy, pure, and at times elegant. The reflec-
tions are in general- just, delicate, and impressive.
There. are some poetical effusions in the work,
which prove•the taste and sensibility of the author.
The work altogether is very creditable to the
fair author, in -a moral and religious, as well as
in a literary point of ,view, and the female' readsi•
cannot rise from it without being more strongly
impressed with the beauty and happiness of vir-
tue, with disgust and hatred of vice, and with pity
for the follies of what is termed fashionable. life.