The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-10 00:00:00

THE COCK IN FLEET-S2REET.

It was not without wincing, and a sort of ag-
grieved feeling, as if the Commissioners well
scarcely dealing as gently as they should with Per•
sons whose very weaknesses deserve consideratioat
that I read the printed announcement the other
day on Attenborough's, the pawnbroker's, of sell-
ing off in consequence of notice from the Commis-
sion that the premises were wanted Not that
or any one else that I know of, unless it be tu"
inmates, care about Attenborough's. But Orr
doors east of Attenborough's stands the Cock
3'
Fleet-street. Against that most illustrious of
chop-houses we hear that the sentence has also
gone forth. Hence these lines. written in tb
hope that the eye of some member of the cheek-
drawing class may fall on them, by whose aid !A°
old hearth, of authentic historic interest surpass':
by few in this country, may yet be preserved 0:
our grandchildren. Do I suppose if 20 Johnsec._
and Goldsmiths and Tennysons had lived all their
l
I
lives in the old tavern that their memories would
save the Cock from being ruthlessly knocked oil,
his perch over the door, and the house from beleg
piekaxed down by Irish labourers, and the mate'
rials sold, to make way for the new Law Courts,;
No, I don't. But what Ido say is this :—UP
down the British Empire, and in the United States;
there are at this moment thousands of wen 1
"0
,11
least to whom the old hearth of the Cock would . •
invaluable. There are, first, young gentlemen 111:0
heriting great houses, none of whom seem able a
live in their fathers' homes without rebuilding sea
enlarging. There is no historical house in Eugl3int
which would not be honoured by having the qua•e
old mantelpiece and grotesque pannelling of t
Cock hearth, before which our laureate has muse
,1
till the inspiration fell on him, set up in
study. Infinitely more valuable, however, w° v 0
it be to you, my fellow-countrymen, Vir" 300
heaped up wealth by your own industry, °`
kind or another, and are bent on building a ne
a.°
house, and founding a family. Dien en of your oa
often spend large sums on pictures, statues, .80,
the like, with this object ; but how unquestf
ably more effective for your purpose Nyeulatbe
be to transport reverently the old hearth of oel
Cock in Fleet-street, brick by brick, and Paw
by panel, to your new home. Fancy ag
effect, in the third generation, of your grandsoef
be
sheriff, entertaining the judges, and saying, asre,s
points to the hall fireplace, " Ah, by the way, the rest
a piece of old-world work which should inter
your lordships. That is the fireplace of the Coed
in Fleet-street, which my grandfather bought old
brought down here when the old place was Parts'
down to make room for the present Law C be-
Many of your lordships' predecessors have ss,,,hey
fore that fire and dreamed of the woolsack.
tell me it is of Queen .h.lizabeth's time." i"ot do
put it you, gentlemen, whether that will ea,
more for your descendants as English country 0600
tlemen than a gallery full of Titians, if you co
get them ?---Once a Week.

THE BELGIAN SUCCESSION.—The Figaro PtinLl;A'--
the following note :—" At Brussels much is 537:r
a project which, if realised, will bring about r3ineto
unforeseen consequences. The question res Per..
the death of the young Count de Eiainault,
presumptive of the Crown. The Prince 102ehil
of France, it is generally supposed, would ill t 5-1;;: .
case be affianced to the Princess /darse-Anog
who is reaching her tenth year. A male heir dent
wanting, King Leopold might at any given r°°:.--h
tlO
realise the annexation of the two countries W"-ays
war or the opposition of England." Gaiignanit,Bijaer
the Figaro appears to have overlooked alieftge. to
the Count de Flandre, brother of Le he
7,„,0 of
whom, according to the Constitution, the thr—
Belgium descends in default of heirs male. orse:
THE BATTLE OF THE IRISH CHIJRCH.--`" /riot
what amusing incident in connection with ti'eural
Church occurred about a week since in Sr4/.1:
parish a short distance from Godahning•; sctS
pears that one of the churchwardens, who 5-4,ivea
as guardian, overseer, and parish clerk, re% an
from a Church Defence Association in LnliciobietS
official-looking packet by post, containingPalordS
and tracts, and a form of petition to ale wish'
" spiritual and temporal " against the disesta ttiel
anent of the Irish Church. This was aeen°l3: tbe
by a letter requesting that the contents °>v
r°
parcel might be used in the best manner to Pr° oco
the object intended. Flushed with the in-12°i' arid
of being entrusted with such a rnissi°o;ieW
staggered with the sight of such a mass el so
ture, the old gentleman scratched his hea oo;
idea.
One soon struck him, and a novel oneo
of
for forthwith he proceeded to nail the fnritist
Petition on the church door, alongside the t restvoters, objections, &c. But the matter did 11;tiol
here. The other churchwarden, whose Pcfoilig
proclivities are more of a Radical nature, on oeiono
d fet'
to church the following Sandal, saw the Pre 00
document, to tear down and demolish whtiliceh tscoo
but a moment's work. subsequently
onaffitcuirael s
thatuiet
it andapp
appeared
rdi
di span: one otsi
of the Irish Church would be fought out in
own persons. 000114
It is calculated that Russia has raised on
0003
external money markets during the last twolTa..licai
no les& thatt-.£1,8,000,000 .by State-guaranteed
bonds. , . • eofthsautchthe their

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Sept. 9.

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