The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-10-05 00:00:00

MNIMMIIIIMIONIIIMINII

CROYDON FAIR.

" There Jockey was area with Jenny ;
Oki Biddy the Piper was there,
And Sandy made Wet., his hisiggy,
The lass with the golden hair."
Induced by the fineness of the weather, and that
natural desire, which I poseess, to see the humbler
classes of society happy, I took a passageiti " the
ten-toed machine," and marched off to participate
in the hilarity.
I had scarcely reached Kennington Common, be-
fore I was civilly invited by soave Ventisses from
Kent-street, in the Borough, to take a seat among
them in a 'cart, richly decorated with boughs, amid
which they sat like Bacchants, for which I was re.
qeired by the charioteer to pay but the small con..
sideration of a shilling ; but having a kind of fa-
mily aversion to riding in a cart, I declined the
offer, although it came from beauty in dishabille !
On entering Brixton Causeway, I saw a Wog range
of little houses, apparently built with cards, which
they have called
:cottages; with a bridge in the
!rent of each, over a metliodized ditch, so stagnant
that the frogs have deserted . it, hit .their tadpoles
should be affected with a What or tenesntas !
As 1 ascended the Causeway, I .was, nearly
choked with volumes of 40.00, -asiiitg from
ten thousand -barouches, landaus, vie.e.vis, gigs,
sociable., disoblcgeants, waggons, !coaches, carts,
and horsemen, all hurrying from the metropolis,
pell-mell, as if Joaew SOU/HOOT% prophecy had
been fulfilled,. and the Devil himself had made his
appearance at the Stock Exchange !
When I had nearly approached to the summit of
the hill, two drivers of crowded machines, that
were drawn by donkies, were. running a furioUs.
race against each other; and its 4 evermore feel an
indignant' sympathy when • sny of tbeasiuine con-
nection are mallteatedt 1 called, to 44 fellciws to,
spare the animals ; but my intercession was as
bootless, as if I had implored the inexorable gn.
nos not to wound or wither •the ruses of the
valley ! • •
These unfeeling varlets hadatoPpethatilte Berge
and Groom, at Streatham, whew I overtook.theili:
—" Gentlemen (quoth please to bear Lord
Enseree on the subject of the ill.usage of. animals
--‘ I defy any man (says his Lordship) to point
out any one abuse of a brute, which is property,
by its owner, which is not directly against his own
interest. • Is it possible then to doubt, for a single
moment, that our dominion over animals is a
'rause ?'"—l would have proceeded notwithstand-
ing the sneers of my auditors, if an •itectined Pan.,
dean minstrel had not struck up the famous Paphian
melody of Stoney Hatter, whet) I shrugged, but-
toned up my morality, and walked onward!
At the entrance to Croydon:l saw a earee,
man, who was thus explaining, the wooderi of his
portable microcosm—" There (said lie) you may
see Bosapatere on his white charger in the Carousal
of Paris; listen, and you may hear him give the
watd of command to- his troops! —.Now you see
him at St. Cloud, with the Empress JOSEPHINE ;`
now youaee him kick- bet out of the bedchamber,
while another flies in at the window, on an Ass-
trian eagle, trim and enceinte as she ought to be—
ad as natural as the life."
When I was edged, involuntarily, into the Fair...,
field, my senses were alneost stunned with opposite':
noises !—A fellow nearly burst the eympanuns or.
my ear with a blast from a cracked trumpet, an.
nouncing the exhibition of the wonderful Albino
Girls, with white hair and three eyes each t I was
then hurried into a passage where they demanded
sixpence to see the surprising Missiliffen tut watch
papers, without fingers or tees! When I squeezed
myself out, I saw Mr. SCOVITON and all his splendid
retinue!—Here's the live Lion stuffed. with straw,
roared another. On their exclaiming " A mad
Of!" I stepped up the ladder to avoid the pre.
mimed beast, when the Picrroll pointing to me,:
bellowed out-e-" Sce how they tumble up there!"''
In this conspicuous station I was .tapied by Mr.
—, the bookseller, who indiscreetly called out—
" What, are you there, Dom' Who would'
have thought of seeing a philosopher at a puppdt,
sheer !" I was so abashed at' this remark, that, ret-4
guides, of the consequences,• 1 leaped into thie
crowd, with as little caution as a maniac would'
plunge into a cold bath, and overset sailor
and his troll, who were amorously chaunting the
duetto of—
".1low sweet's the love that meets return."
lnow retired to a booth to can sole myself with
a bottle of brown, *afoot, wino ..e .toijit Woking
Gentleman sat down by me, deeply regretting that
Punch and his merry fatality hAt not condescended.
to visit the Pair ; I fear (saitille) that "tbet re.'
splendeut Comedian is now doomed mere)y to
in story, like CHARLES 'ibis Twet.tru,..Lisiiittcn,
Of Sir JiarEILY DUNtrrA N ! Bet all as vaulty, as
the Irish Muralist observes". • --
Grussand.haz,
Item to-morrow, uad goneSo-da,y
When he. had departed, a 'ltyestander observed
that he hail milled my wipe ; on 'My declaring my
titter ignorance of Ins meaning, lie told wre that the
civil stranger had stolen my handkerchief. "'What
(said I), •the Bandana that wassiVto vac by :Capt.:
Jenrette i"---44 The.same," bal. on this I
made a rush to follqi the depredator, bat the host,.
perceiving my intention, caught hold ofehe skirt of
my only black coat,. and tore it 'to the 'button'
46 What, you 'wanted to 4444 without pay..'.l
ing your reckoning, did you fleid he. On My
assuring him that it was not toy desire, as I threw
down my last half-crown, he jocosely asked a coon.
tryman in a smock frock, what he thought I looked
like ?—" More like a thief than a horse," was the
rude reply.
I was so stung with shame at this adventure, that
after pinning up thereat in my coat, ',got away a
la sourdine into Croydon, where I threw myself
into a return post-chaise, and reached the hletropo.
Lis once more, with a lighter purse, more know-
ledge, and a heavier heart.
Thin, this world's but a show, where we ramble 'in nog gay
things,
And our passion?. like childsen, are tempted by play things ;
Ally s-inia, III) glitter, by tr-nh, aoi.l by vanity,
ty gingerbread Irides, and wRn. of inanity!
There see amble, aunt -irut 'iniing our pow:. silly neighbours,
Till dent,, or dibe:oe, give u cheek to our lubtaurs!
So our hepig's n jest, rather wretched ihau rare 0
And may well be courpur'd to this blued Croydon Yak oh !
Illgibtr 5,
•

EDINBURGH, OCT. 1.

• pretended lady, calling herself Mrs. Mark,
widow of an officer who died at Corunne, called on ,
Tuesday, the 11th inst. at 'he house of Mr. Grey,
of the Plough lon, Iterwick, saying that she 'wished
for. private lodgings, as she meant to stay some Siiiii
in town. After making some inquiries about In 4.
logs, she engaged Miss I..eadtitier's,at 16s..per Week.,
and to find her own plate and linen. She 'was to
take possession of the lodgings on the Monday fol-
lowing, as she espected her baggage and servants
lon Saturday. She pretended to visit several of the
officers ladle§ of the Abeideenshire militia. She
`alai gave out that she was -nearly related to the Earl
of A. and other very respectable families. In sup:
port of her high pretensions, she said she had 2501.
to draw from the Earl, and for that purpose•
she got a bill stamp, Which a serjf.atit of the kelp-
-1 meat brought her at his iivin expunce. On Friday,
she intimated:to Mis.'Grey, that 'her iiiter and bro.
..
1
I titer were' at RaggCriton, (JO visit to Sir Carnaby
IntlfAdy ItagOrston,ind thheihe was also to Make
a visit there; but is afie was iinacqUainted with the
1 raglinnd not • fend of trafelling ilotiet shWrequest.
ed bast Mrs. Grey would tillolie herdaughter to ac.
cOinininy her. Mrs. G. havingrendifyColoptlnd.Wilh
her reqWeits :thelatif tired a gig, and set out with
Mist GFey, on Safittaay .morning. 'Oh the :tied she
bought some poidtry, -which •Wasient.t4 Mrs. 'G.
with notice diet As wOnfd -be'home to dinner at

two o'clock. *Having atriiodatlfriggetston'Lodge,
she alighted and went in, as if to enquire if her
sister was at the house ; when•she came out, she
said that her sister and husband were taking a walk
• ors the road towards Fenwiek. They proceeded
thither, and •put up the horse at a public house in
the village. The lady immediately:West in quest of
her sister, desiring Miss G.' te' stay
-but she was gone never to return. The girl waited
'so lung that she could not return that night). but
came home Rest morning. *Previous to her depar-
tare, she gave orders fur several articles of wearing
apparel, which fortunately were not delivered. She
carried off several articles of dress that she borrow-
ed from Mrs. G. She is a little plump woman, of
respectable appearance, about 30 years* old, and
was dressed in second cenarning.
Mr. Lancaster has arrived at Newcastle, and is
to deliver some lectures at the Theatre,Royal) on
the subjectof.qpieletion.
Lately., the*iiiains of a human skeleton were
dug up on the ba* side, near the sduthern end of
Stephenson-street, North Shields. An old house
, was lately pulled down near the spot, to enlarge the
street, and within a few yards of its scite the bones
were discovgred. A few years since another skeie.
ton was dug up near the same place, It is believed,
this was the old house wherein, in 1705, the Duke of
Argyle, then resident at•Chirton, received so many.
I bruises and wounds in a night-brawl, as to occasion
his death shortly after, It was occupied by Paphiati
nymphs, and often resorted to, by the noble
profligate.

A .young man, in the Scouringbourne, near Dun.
dee, went with some companions, on Sunday af.
ternoon, to a public.house, where tie drank some
liquor. In quarrelling with the landlord, he is said
to have been severely struck by him, and after..
wards turned to the streets without his hat and,
shoes. Ile was carried home, and died in Valk.
agony during the night. His body has been opened,
,bv order of the Magistrates; and the landlord was-
apprehended next morning, and lodged in gaol.
, Last week, while a young man, in the prime of
life, was working in Letham quarry, in the neigla.t
buttrhood of Arbroath, a quantity of rock_ was
precipitated from a considerabie height,
,whereby
he was so dreadfully braised, that he died in about.
an hour after.
Oa the il2d ult. a remarkable fine peach, was
pulled from a.tree in the garden of Provost Airth,
Arbroath, It measured ten inches and a quarter in
circumferencaa and weighed seven ounces fourteen
exceddlegin weight and size one mentioned
in f Widen Paper a few days ago, raised in a hot.
'house. /Mr. Airth's peach Was under glass, but had
tan Beat seta that of the sun. The taste and fia.
'your was eXqUisite.
A line girl, :aged Ore years, of the namo df
ireaunfoituitately hilted on Thursday se'n.
'10044! Cathcart., b) the tram of a cart falling on
her, while diverting heivelf in a shed along with
sutne 440 children. .•
trierning last, about two o'clock, the
liatistt of Hugh Cranford, Esq. Chief Magistrate of I
!Greitioas was attacked in a violent manner, by
'ima eiril;ilisposed persons, who threw a number of
'brick.baisanditiAeliethe windows, two'of which
'Were "etiMPleleiy-stove in. This wenton injury,
Ahem. is livery reason to believes 'was *thine in re.
'venge.for hie. Criiitard's acttrity is punishing of.
feriders'aglinat Ilia law. • • Que buodred guineas re-
'wardha/heed offered 'for a discovery of the perpe.
Sir 'Aleiander Macdonald Lockhart, Bart. has
detertnined'ro apply to Parliameut, during the en.
suing Session, for'atithprity to sell the entailed es.
tate of Dryden.
lOn Tuesday, the 11 th instant,,,Xlexander
ray; t sq. of Cally, Gatehouse, canto of age) 40
commemorate which, the above. Gentleman gave a
most elegant and 'au peth eittertaimilent to his friends.
One handfed initthirty.futir gentlemen sat doWn to
iiitinerrin a large room' in 'his mansion; there were
also three other dinner rooms for a number of other
gentlemen, amounting in the whole to 500. There
wereAhe greatest choice of the richest wines ever
known on a like occasion. The rooms in, every
part of the house were likewise filled with company
to dinner, who were also'served with wines of the
richest sort. Mr. Murray's •tenauts, and persons
of all ranks, were, liberally treated with a very
handsome dinner, and liquor of various 'kinds.—
The bells in the neighbourhood began ringing at
, six o'clock in the morning, and continued ringing
the • whole day and evening. After the first toast
(the Xing), a signal was made tor the firing of some
cannon, which was repeated after every toast. In
the evening a hill was given, which was opened by
Mr. Murray and Miss Hannay, after which, country
dances and reek? commenced, which were continued
until five o'clock io the. morning. The beautiful
tnwn of Gatehouse was elegantly illumilisted, and
the entertainment, &c. continued fur the two fol.

'ISMAN►

lowiag days. All the beauty and fashion of ti
neighbourhood, and from distant parts of the cou,
try, attended on the joyful occasion.
Jedburgh Fair on Tuesday was thinly suppli
with cattle, which met with a very quiCk sale, al
sold at high prices. 'rhere was a small show
' horses, %Nat taut with 'a dull Sale.
Ou Ish'itrstlay last, a nikstdr.optinter in 'this oil
brought one of his case.apto'entices'beftrie the She,
tiff, fur negligence, disobedience, and idleness.
Ikt was proved, by the exculpatory witnesses, ad.
'dared by the apprentice himself, that he had been
lit .the frequent habit of absenting himself from
master's employment for many hours, dialf..day
and nearly for whole days together, to the grea,
delay of the work in which he Was concerned, ant
to the great detriment of his master, and all
in spite of his repeatcd warnings and admonitioi
In all these circumstances, the Sheriff coniimiU
the apprentice for four Mohan to Bridewell, the
to be kept at hard labour ; ordained him to fif
additional security for his conduct, during the
minder of his time; and found him and his prese)
cautioners liable in full eapences. We think it pr
per to•add, that, although the general purport
'the evidence, in this case, went to establish
young man's idleness, yet it also proved his caper
nest in his business, and that he sometimes woe
very assiduously. The Sheriff, however, put
entirely out of his consideration, in passing the sl
tenet, delivering it as his. Upibitin, that tempori
fits of activity were by no means .to be weigl
in the balance with general habits 'of hlleness
neglect.

A man, of the name of Gant, and 'his wife, hi
been taken into custody, on a case made by
Bank of England, for making mitt sending fol
notes.• The offence was committed at Ludlow,
Shropshire, where several fabricated notes h,
been discovered in circulation. The implements
making were found In the possession of the Pi
soners, who have been committed at filldlo W.
RITRA.OR [MAU Y IXSTA,IOE OP AISTiNESc
—The follow ing extraordinary • rodlike of abs
nence has recently occurred at Clielinsf6rd, 'in
sex :—On the 4th of S,eptember last, James Jack
wastommitted to the • House of Correction at
place as a vagrant. For the'first five days after
commisment he was not perceived to take any
tcnancc whatever, or was he once observed to o
his eyes. On the sixth day he walked in the
son yard and drank plentifully of water at
pump, and continued to do so till the 17th,
constantly refused to take any kind of food whi
ever, and from, the 17th day of his confinement
his death, which happened on Tuesday lad, he
discontinued taking water. The constable, in wi
custody he was for three days previous to his bt
committed to the House of Correction, states, I
during that time he took nothing but one pink
beer, so that it appears that frnin the Ist of Septets,
'ber to the 211 of October, the day on Uthiehlie d:
he took no other nourishment but one pint of heti
except water, tit which it is stated Ile drank pli
fully during 12 days of the titre be was in prison,
Monday night, as the barrack guard, at Fru
'fort Barracks, Plymouth, 'were relieving the sent
nets nodisty, one of them was- found asleep on '
post, andon one of the reliefs attempting to stet
himihe started op and run his bayonet 'throi
the-other's breast. He is not expected to-reco•
CHESTER.—On &tufo:fay aftelateowi ebout *1
o'clock, tiiis city was sisitisiliy One Of 'the-hr.ai
thunder storms, accompanied by lightning' and
ever remembered. The rain fell in torrents, litci
deluging the streets, which appeared as One sheei
water, in some places more than a foot deep,
totally impassable for foot passengers fur More
'two hours.
Wednesday evening, as a Gentleman, in ci
pany with two Ladies, were passing near Astli
Theatre, in a gig, the off shaft came in 'contact
a coach, and was broke, which caused the horse
take fright and run away : 'one of the Ladies
thrown out at the instant, and very much brul
she was taken into a house near the spot, and a
geon scot for ; the horse proceeded across
bridge with the other Lady and Gentleman in
chaise, until the vehicle came in contact witl
epple.stall, when the °liaise, was overturned,
the Lady and Gentleman much hurt by the fall
'bell as the poor woman who kept the stall. T.
Were taken into* the: Swan Tavern, and a surgeoi
sent for. The horse was not stopped till he got '
Spring Gardens.
On Wednesday morning, between two and t'
o'clock, the Bedford Head Tavern, in Main.
lane, Covent-garden, was broken into by forchn,
.open the cellar window. The thieves proceeded
le 'the bar, the door of which they broke of
"and stole several 'articles of plate, linen, and w
ing apparel ; they then ransacked the drawers,
examined over the pocket-books, writings,
which acre deposited therein, and which were fi
strewed on the tont.. it is supposed. they di
in the bar a bcittfe of rim and one of Sherr.
They then went into the coffee-room, forced
a cup-board under the beaufet, which contain,
number of kuives and forks, which were tied
papers; they opened and examined them, but
finding as good booty 'as they expected, they
them in the place again. They then left the
tuises by forcing the luck of the street-door, lel
was found open by the watchman. 'rho watcht
as is usual on such occasions, did not give the ai
until the robbers had got clear off.

SIIOCK !NG OCCUR Woodgate,
the mother df Mr. Woodpte, the attorney, at
16, Goltiesi-square, was burnt to.death there
terday evening. The old lady was upwards
years of age, and unable to do for herself.
female servant who h,itl the care of her,
her sitting in the two pair of 'stairs front room
abmit eight .o'clock in -the evening, whilst
went down • into the kitchen to toast a slii

bread, . and 'when there, she heard her mia
shriek.; she haired up stairs, and on enterim
room, the cloatlis of the 'unfortunate lady
one blaze, and of part of foe room was on fire.
deceased lingered three hours only, when neat:
heved her from 'excruciating agonies. It is cm
tared that the deceased omit h:►vc beili stoop:
when the candle sot fire to her dress, as it was
in the same place where the servant left it.