Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-08-01

the old gentleman pleasurance-hs alarm and horror,
which calls forth the unaffected regrets and commisse
ratons of the unfortunate officials who never more
panied than with such du,y'-tbe aldermans sug.
cestions that they had better walk in and talk the
matter over their anxious examination OF watches and
reluctant, admission that they might spare quarter of
hour-"but alas no use, they fear none whatever
the entry OF the dining roomt the turkey just served;
the pressing invitation TO taste morsel-the excellent
dinner-lhe fine old madera-the bottle of pink cham.
payne, "a present from my Lord Mayor'-tie discus.
sion of half.a dozen of claret and of the projected
branch of the canal-the city knights arguments get
ting and more weighiy-"Really this business
must be considered" bottle more dear gentle.
man till at last it is getting dark-,hey are eight
miles from Westminster Bridge Hook bnrs, out into
song and narrates in exlempore The whole trans.
action, winding up with
"And we greatly approve of your fare,
Your cellars az prime as your conk
And this clerk here is Mathews The player,
And l'm-Mr. Theodore Hook"-t EIeunt.)
BERsERs-STREEr HoAx.-The crown and consum.
nation of all this, the "Berners -Street Hoax in
1909. 1t is recorded, that in walking down that street
day, his companion called his attention 10 the par
tcularly neat and modest appearance of house. the
residence, appeared from the door plate of some de
cent shop keepers widow. oil lay you guinea, .
said Theodore, 'that in week, that nice, modest
dwelling, shall be the most famous in all London. -
The bet taken In the of four or five days.
Hook had written and despatched thousand letters
conveying orders TO radesmen Of every Sort within the
bills Of mortality, all to be executed particular
day. and nearly possible, at fixed hour. From
wagons Of Goals and potatoes (says Gurney to books
prints feathers ices, jeles cranberry tarts-nohinp
in any way whatever available to any human being,
but was commanded from of rival dealers scat
tered over our province OF bricks, from Mapping 10
Lambeth, from Whitechapel 10 Paddngton. In 1909,
Oxford Road was not approachab'e either from West
minister Mayfair, or from the city, otherwise than
through n complicated series OF lanes. 1t may be
ceeh nd sfa sspl wh he and
and tumult of the day Hook had provided HIM
self with Lodging nearly opposite the iated No. and
there, with a couple of rusty allies, he watched The
de velopment Of the mid day meo-drama. But some of
the drama,is pcrsonu seldom if alluded
10 in later times He had no objection to bodyIng
forth the arrival Of the Lord Mayor and his Chaplain
invited to take the Death bed Confession Of pecula
ting Common Councilman-but he would rather have
buried in obvion-that precisely the sort Of
liberty was taken with the Governor Of the Bank,
the Chairman of the East India Company, Lord
Chief Justice, Cabinet Minister-above all, With the
Archbishop of Canterbury, and HE Royal Highness,
the Commander Chief They all obeyed the
mons-every pious and patriotic feeling had been most
knowingly appealed to-we not sure they ell reach
ed Berner's .Sreet, but the Duke of Yorks military
puncuality and crimson liverIes brought him TO the
point Of attack before the poor widows asonishment
had risen to terror and despair. Perhaps assassna
ton, conspiracy, no Royal demise Ministerial Re
vouon of recent times greater God send TO the
ewspapers thln this audacious piece of mischief In
Hook 8 own Theatrical World lie was instantly
pected but sign escaped either him his conidan,s
The affair was beyond that circle q serious one
Fierce were the growlings of the Doctors and Sur
geons-scores of whom had been cheated OF valuable
hours. Attorneys, teachers of all kinds male and fe.
male, hair-dressers, taors, popular preachers, Par
liamentary philanhropiss, had been ylctimzed in
person, and were in their various notes vociferous
But the tangible material damage done, was itself no
king matter. There had been awful smashing Of
IL -. harn s,nho ol, A1n
horse had fallen, To rise again Beer b,rrels and
VINE barrels mad been overturned and exhausted With
impuny, amidst the press of countless mu!tiudes.-lt
had been fine ieldday for the pick pockets. There
arose fervent hue and cry for the detection of the
wholesale decelver and destroyer.
Mr.. Theodore, believe, found il convenient 10
be laid up for werk two by severe fiji of liners,
and then promoted re convaescence by country tour
HOOK s CoSyERsATIoS.-W have already express.
ed our opinion, however, that Theodore Hook 8 ab
ty in conversation was above what he ever exemp-
fed in his writings. We have seen him in company
with very many Of the most eminent men Of his time;
and we never, until he his end carried
home the impression that he had been surpassed. He
was as entirely, as any parent of bonmot, that we
have known, above the suspicion Of having premedi
,aled his point and he exceled in greater variety Of
ways than any of them. No definition, either of wit
or humor could have been framed that must not have
included him; and he often conveyed what was al
once felt he the truest wit in FORMS as we believe,
entirely new. He could riot in conundrums-
but what seemed at first jingle, was often per-
ceived, moment after, TO contain some auson in
situation that elevated the vehicle. Memory and
knack may suffice 10 furnish an amusing narrator
but the teller Of good stories seldom amuses long if
he cannot also say things. Hook shone equally in
both. in fact, he could not tell any story without
making II his own by the varying nexhaus,lble
invention of the details and the aspects and above all
by the tact that failed to connect it with The
| opr he ihp IF ,ho
thing was with him patch-a made To assert
somehow ts conference with what bad gone before, or
passing His play OF feature, The compass and
music OF his voice, his large and brilliant eve. capable
OF every expessIon from the rravest to the most gro
,esfuely comcn, the quiet aptness Of every attitude
and gesture, his power of mmicry, unrvaled but by
Mathews-wben 10 all this add the constant eff.
feet Of his innate, mperurable good humor-the ut
ter absence Of spleen-and ever and anon some fash
OF strong sterling sense, bursting through such at
mosphere OF fun and drollery-we still feel how in
adequately we attempt to describe the INDISPENSABLE
Hook Asp CoLERIDeE.-A friend says:-"Tho first
time ever witnessed Hook s extempore talent was
gay young bachelors villa near H phpa,e when the
other lion was one of very different brecd,-Mr
Coerdge Much caret had been shed before the "A IN
Gent Mariner proclaimed that he could swallow no
more Of any thing, unless il punch The materials
were forthwith produced; the bowl was planted before
the poet and as he proceeded in his coucoction Hook
unbidden, took his place at the piano He hurst INTO
bacchana OF gorgeous luxury, every line of which had
reference TO The author OF the LAY Sermons and the
AIDS 10 Reflection The room was becoming exces.
s'vely hot the first specimen of the new compound
was handed to Hook, who paused 10 quaf it, and the
excalmng that he stiaed flung his glass through
the w'ndow-Colerdge rose with The aspect of be.
nghted PATRIARCH and demolished another pane-the
example was followed generaly-the window was a
sieve IN an Instant the kind host farthes from the
mark, and his goblet made havoc Of the chandelier
ne roar OF laughter was drowned in 1heodores re.
sumption of the song, and window and chandelier and
the peculiar shot of each individual destroyer had apt
and in many cases eSqusitely witty CONNIE moration
In walking home with Mr.. Colerdge, he ENTERTAINED
and me with most excellen; lecture on the
distinction between talent and genius and declared thai
Hook as true a genius as Dante-,hat was his ex.
ample"
HATcHIso APPARATUS They have a machine for
Matching eggs actually in in London bringing
mi yh,l IL -. 81 L.