The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-10-01 00:00:00

LoOg Chancery-lam retentive rolls the sound,
And Courts to Courts return it round and round;
Thames wafts it thence to Rufus' roaring hall,
And Huogerford re-echoes bawl for bawl.
A friend of mine, who has lust one of the healthiest
looks I have ever seen in the study of acoustics, (he
shows his pale cheek with as much pride as a soldier
doos his wounds,) assures me, that the music of the
London cries can be brought to that perfection, that a
person might be metaphorically fed through the ear,
and never be asked to use his teeth, by a proper ad-
justment of the sonnds. Particular notes, he says,
might convey the taste, flavour, and even nourishment
of a particular article of food, to the plenary satisfac-
tion of (l suppose we may at present say) the patient.
I do not know, indeed, if Milton had not an eye—or
for two reasons in his case, I should say, an ear to this
very invention, in the following lines, which I dare
say, op to this moment, have bee* regarded as a very
ordinary piece of poetry.—
And ever against EATING tares, •
Lap me In soft Lydian (London) airs, &e.
But perhaps, after all, there cannot be found a more
excellent use of the compositions we have been consi-
dering. than the insight which they gave into the na-
tural history of the country, the manners and luxuries
of the people. Some study the character of a people
in their proverbs—the theatres have been selected by
others for this purpose—others again look for it in
their writings. The most rational medium for ob-
servation is, as it strikes me, the business of the iti-
nerant body, whom 1 thus humbly endeavour to cele-
brate. There is not a day that you may not have at
their hands specimens of some of the choicest produc-
tions of nature in the animal or vegetable kingdom.—
You have, as it were, in the streets a living museum.
with the eminent peculiarity attending it, that many
of the properties of a particular class of productions
may be aseertaitted in it, in the most satisfactory man-
ner. 'I bus the rarity or abundance of any species of
fish—the season when it is most easily found—the
length of time during which it can live out of water
—its power of resisting putrefaction, and many other
curious facts relating to it, may all be familiarly ac-
quired by the meanest capacity without trouble. I
own I would not wish for a more accurate caleftdar
for declaring the progress of the seasons, than this
very interesting order affords. The Spring, the Sum-
mer, the Autumn, are unfolded in the most agreeable
manner in the abundant succession of flowers, of fruits,
and esculents that attract and confound the senses of
the metropolitans at every turn. Verily the country
tioth come to town to keep her terms with the goodly
city—" Xempe inter caress ntithur flora columnar."
And when at last stern winter comes to sadden the
year—dejecting prospect!—what an exemplary sam-
ple do these missionaries of nourishment hold out, of
that provident temper which the ancient sage does so
ennningly recommend in the well-known apologne of
the ant and the fly. It is they who remember to sonic
purpose that there is a time when nature puts not forth
or fruit or berb,—that there is a time when fishermen
way not put to sea ; it is they who will lay up for that
blank interval of plentiful store of necessaries, and dis-
tribute them in the moment of need amongst their fel-
low-beings. But with still greater precision, than in
Cie case of our natural history, may the state of our
domestic living be illustrated by the London cries.—
There cannot he a better criterion of the advanced con-
dition of our culinary conveniencies than the familiar
etants—" Pots and pans, a.ad kettles to ,tend."—
" hay nay wooden ware," and such like. The
cry of "mutt." of which the species is very multiplied,
that of "broooss."—" white stoat.," fe.c. let the enquirer
into the very houses almost, and skew in a very smis-
factory way the degree to which we carry the love of
cleanliness. Then there are catches about " bawl-
" haves or scissors to grind," " matehes," Bic.
svhiet declare-the scale of our minor comforts. There
is, lastly, a well-known cry which svecitiei in terms,
indeed, the pretaxr animals which have been domes-
ticated amongst us for our amusement and use. Ihe
liifve I have now stated enough to induce the public to
ti fink more respectfully of this interesting order in
future..- lam not bonnin"?' notice here' the eaiiiArile,
ilections that have been for time out of mind cast upon
thirbmly, especially the female characters. Every
profession embraces some few wh.. are unworthy of it :
and should the ladies belongin:;• to this calling be re-
pi:itched with an abuse of the liberty of speech, we
sfioula remember, that it is a fault incident to thiit
power which Mr. Canning has actually caliel "'the
gip itl* the ka 1.," and has been found in all other pith-
*ipeakers since the time of Nestor. Ido nut flail
glitch mention of any similar catotnuaity in ancient
history; but there is evidence that they-,were a name-
rouY.class in Rome. It would appear to me, that Cicero
tiniself bad been permineotly retained by them to cry
up the profusion. It is remarkable that he was al-
ways twitching the shop-keeperi, and endeavouring
to lower their rank as much. as possible. No doubt
this class must hive been at Rome. as they are to Lon-
don, a great weight upon the commercial activity of the
itinerout•btanch. -At last he fairly said, and in his of-
fires too, seisich contain nothing but his well-consider-
opinions,—" Nothing liberal can ever bein a shop."
lie goes on then with a terrible tirade again-st fishtuon-
Fen, cooks, anti ell those who mioister unto the lux-
h
uHreuf mankind. But lest he should be supposed to
reollitehend in these ssfeeping denunciations, that
particulate craft, orbit* he either feared or loved, or
Iva. feed to support,' he elt.ords the foliuwitig verve-
mat kable: ezpressious instrat, ropiest,. ma
sad;gwe adportono, nadtisfue iineranitald totpertielitt: