The Sun.
London, England, 1826-08-22 00:00:00

PECKHAM FAIR.

This scene of festivity commenced yesterday ; but the
field, where it was formerly kept, had been cut across by
a new branch of the Canal; and, to the annoyance of its
gay visitants, its velvet turf was exchanged for the dust
and confusion of a gravel road ; as, "by order of the ma-
gistrates, any person building a booth or stall in any field
'near the town, would be prosecuted with the utmost se-
verity." This peremptory order was issued on Friday,
when a great number of the booth-keepers had built their
booths in the largest part of the original field, still suffici-
ently. convenient. One of them had paid down twenty
guineas for the use of an adjoining field during the fair,
and was cozily building? when he was stopped by the
strong arm of the law, in the periltins of from twenty to
thirty of the Bow-street Patrol, who arrested his progress,
and at the same time, three of his men. It was then inti-
mated, that the fair must be held in the town. The men
were taken before the magistrates, and at length bailed
out. Every corner in every street was occupied by a
booth, stall, or show, and in the greatest thoroughfare in
the town the carriage-way was,only twelve feet wide, in
a place where there were some thousands of people.
We commenced our survey at about 7 o'clock, and first
recognized " the Fair," in a sort of wild beast caravan,
and an immense oil painting, intimating that a lady of seven
feet high, weighing 40 stone, was to be seen Alive for one
penny. We next feasted our admiring eyes on the ambi-
tious attempts at an " aerial visit," by some fat country
wenches in a swing. We then came to " the Grand
Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo," in a show-box two
feet square, near which there were a number of " opera-
tives%enjoying " the delicacies of the season," namely,
oysters and arline plumbs, while their ladies were more in-
tellectually recreating themselves by being rapturously
jolted on a jack-donkey; for Which they paid two-pene.
The poor animals looked at the thick sticks of their in-
human masters, then at the frail, fair, and fat one,
that was doomed to waddle like a bladder of hog s lard on
their agonized backs, and then cast a despairing glance at
the crowd. We then proceeded to reconnoitre the e town,
and at the first turn " Richardson's Theaqe,' caught
our view ; here many a fat cook-maid, paid her six-
pence for a delectable blubber over the sorrows of a
" gentle Desdemona." The next was an exhibition of
wild beasts, in which there were two very large ourang-
outangs, the keeper veryi
politely
.nving the ladies
to " walk in and gratify their curl onty, As the night
advanced " the lads took their lasses their trotters to
shake," and the eager throng crowded to the Crown and
Anchor Tavern, a large booth for dancing, fitted up to ac-
commodate several hundred persons. Thither we went,
or rather were carried by the crowd, The ladies were all
in amiable confusion, and a few sustained the trifling in-
convenience of losing their shoes, and indulged their inte-
resting propensity to squalling. We, hoWever, paid our
shilling, and were considerably amused, on entering, with
a very successful burlesque on the greatness of our navy,
iii tjte pprapps of six Lilliputian r.nekpeys, nstraw
hats and sailors' dresses. They appeared perfectly satisfied,
and surveyed themselves ,from time to time with great
complacency. We were next struck with the appearance
of a warm-hearted Patlander, with

" His clothes spick and span new, without e're R speck,
" And a nine Barcelona 401 round his nate neck,"
and an "ash plant two inches' thick. He was merrily
Whistling lillerbulero, and dancing a hornpipe to the air of
" Cherry ripe." The dancing continued with " merry
r
pace" ti)l half.neet eleven, when they quietly separmed tq
thsir reepectiv? hpmee.

RELIGIOUS FANATICISM.-- A young woman
named Stevens, residing at Lambhay Hill, whose mother is a mem-
ber of the Brianites in Exeter, has, for a long time, been persuaded
that she possessed with g devil; and the ravings of the poor
creature, evidently the effect of a nileinin in in, brain, ars roughs
to the utmost possible pitch by ePeclienti adopted by' the
leaders of the sect to expel the enemy from his strong
Exorcisms by fire, Prayer, fasting, and watching by night, with
repeated denunciations from the Holy Scripture, have been re-
wiled to ; and it may well be supposed that the administering of
such
fob&
to, to ~.414i4411:QRi; pot calculated to heal the Oisturbed
fancies of the patient. apprehend 'the moat oiedftitaiiiiirante,
in all such cases, is inediCai acivive..—ster News.