The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-06-09 00:00:00

... ...
..BOA' FiGiftgilftl: yet; •-•
Y 1 YOUNG GENTLF,LMAN OF TUE SANCY.
-.441114-,
[snobs BALDWIN •XII CO.'S tozsoon wastaxiss.]
licxiso.—So Many. natiesr-so many tittles—so
many argniments, press upon us•mavr, that we suspect
we shall fail from very execwss We shall .shear our
article of its he/tones, from the mere' apprehension of
anirsling too much. We have a sense of plethora
uf an IV, that may perhaps scare as into dullness of
sp-eeh, or eventually rednee n% to meagresess of de-
.: tail. How shall we ireak corer? Shall we begin with
the Greeks ? No; they were not true boxers. They
tised their bands in steel, and pelted away at each
others heads, but it was with perseverance rather than
science. We will commence our remarks on English
• + ground. Our course may be rambling, bet we will
• make our stand there, till the battle be done.
' 'flow pleasant are our associations with boxing.
Its name, " the Fancy!" (the Panel!) How deli- I
. rite! bow distinguishing! how free from vulgarity !
what an air it has! It breathes of Moniser. The
/studies seem to dance before our eyes : the ropes are
near us, and the ha•dkerchiefs fly flaunting in the
wind. We bear the well known sounds. " Here's ;
for your nice gitigirbrid nuts—a glass o' good gin 1
• ssho wants? did yon say gin ma'am...." Precious
sounds! they tingle in our ears like music gone.
Then comes the hassle and the grave discussion.)
" 1 say, Bill ; ha' you any thin on Tom to day ?"
No: oh! no. They say it'll be a cross. Ha' yon?"
• " No; only a pot and a few toppers. My Lord backs
' Ton. deep :—Well !•' " Aye, aye : he's a flat—Hallo
tit.:re ! Come, I say—you Sir, keep your fists out e'
my fob, I'd thank ye—my Lord backs him ?" "Oh !
aye, so 1 suppose : more money nor wit, is the saying
is." And so they discourse the pleasant hours away.
• We remember, when we were young, visiting Jews
Belcher and Hen Pearce (the Chicken). We bad read
• and heard of Tom Johnson, and the giant Perrin*, and
, Bruughton, and Slack, of the Nailer, and Corcoran,
and Big Ben, and Death, and Humphries and Men-
doss. Thee had become sacred names in our memory:
• yet, while we treasured them up, we felt an ambition
stir within us to see some of the mighty of the land. i
Heroes were still alive. We had been told of :nes 1
who made pilgrimages to the tombs of the great: we
thought it better to take a peep at the living. Jess
• Belcher, the elegant, the dextrous, the brave, was thee
residing in London. Fate had placed us for a time
,near the classical town of Bristol (that nursery for
valour), and we mounted the mail with a trembling
heart to pay a visit to the renowned Chicken.
It was on a Sunday afternoon—(Sunday ? yes; we
are really afraid that it was)—when we were first in-
troduced to Henry Pearce. 7he weather, for it was
,summer. had been warm: the sky was cloudless:
seemly a breath of wind stirred: Natureseenied re-
posing. as the poets say: and the sun, casting out his
radiant showers of light upon the houses of Bristol,
induced the inhabitants to open their casements to woo
' the passing breese: the girls had untied the ribands
that bound up their china, and the men had doffed
tbeir goats :--in five words. it was a hot day.. -
Mr. Pearce kept a place for refreshment•—an hotel
—a-a public-house, as it were, in Bristol; and it
through one of his windows that we first caught
view of the illustrious man. He was in his shirt.
sleeves, end without a neckcloth, and had been sw
frothing himself from a pewter mug that stood before
hiin. The scent of some fragrant herb met oar RIF
trils as we entered, and clouds of aroniatk Melia
Oiled the room. We were introduced. We stood he.
. etre the champion of England with an awe that noun
but the courageous feel. We viewed him from top to
toe, as Achilles did the son of Priam ; and we asked
ourselves wherein lay his valour and his might? Mr.
Payee was not prepossessing in his appearance, but
his manners were courteous: he invited us to sit, and
.. when " a glass" was suggested, we were unable M ft-
• Mat. We ventured to shake hands with the halt is
oar glee, and our glass actually touched his, with the
tiag of good fellowship. We threw off the—(never
land what liquor)—tbe contents, and felt inspired
• -carding to the depth of our draught. We saw hiss
again. by appointment, the next day; and received
from hint tome instructions and blows, neither of
which we shall ever forget. We afterwards made ac-
claims's:. with Jess. and then with Tom Belcher.
, They were both men of a subtle genius, and it lay at
their finger's ends. We have been told, indeed—but
• we hate to boast of then things--that we have some
elegance of attitude ourselves, and that our blows are
.hot deficient in impetus or expedition. Enough of
this.
? . Miamians and 'Mete-bamboo' mighty fond of sera'.
~burg at large 'ikon gathers, as if there were half
_4O: merit is anneying your adversary, or defending
tsolusel4 with weapsas as without them. It is really
..414 to waste a doubt on the subject. Them I. lose.
.11111Folume talk of hissemand laurels. sad so forth, at a
treat rates but we must coshes that we tam then&
.anwili of any of tbefiesto:if mititilly, writ emilp*
that Milo had knocked down 'a bull with his is ~,tam,
.eaten Min up afterwards. That really is a salsa
.fscs. and should astonish us amoidingly. Bat let se
_see *ow the matter stands.. 'The ancients hedlimmemi
lied so have we: but was Ajax braver than 411tirentil
--was ha bigger than Persiss?—.No. Was .A Ise
to be compared is the Giese Chicken ?—Pallaw ! Ho&
• would have threshed Mare himself with very HUM
trouble. Then Jean Belcher and 'tom--they all
!surely be ,planed by the aide of Caster and Pollan
Mil Dutch eon might ham been see& -near Agis, •ei
•eve&Alestandor. with advantage.i - Molina's, Wit
_his. relosir, would have been a match for Batik"'
.and Cribb giros one no unfavourable idea of the rend
Amil Past. • Cy. Davis is the
,beau ideal of fighterw.4
.ille Apia& of the ring. Bring le-an absolute Oriel/
.hilimement; and Randall is as canning as any Atha.
,altin of old. ifoisistleod.a.oonstellation !Milting out
in the liesispl4o.l.pusilimr,(we borrow this phrase)
-and lestalitf .der.urflokr le the Wall," in Chan-
-lurking: Olden, weigh . these men
fie di lair '. ' ' jAatte 44 k
1006, W* ye prefer
fr.
-Mhyr berets ' ..ant.iptfillfyour satire country..
: i ' I-1- . • itill tiiii Ow. oklhissiday•“•!ag.
• . . . if iisii; Ilk liiiirr.'adds. Nadi-Atom',
.
• :,, • iip‘iktal4, iilmam of some pots. and a. &tr.
• 7'.. ' '''''.. " *kik islm.itekolf. fended. himself. ills
7...„7,,,r,pp0pek had be.. tallied ova at the Fivesteettet and