The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-24

that Arthur, who was then widower
would be married before member o
the club of about the same age, and alss
a widower; and that Sarah, Duchess o
Marlborough, would outlive the oil,
Duchess of Cleveland"
"'One of the youth at Whites, )
writes Walpole to Mann, July 10, 1744
"has committed murder, and intends
to repeat it. He betted Gl,5OO that a
man could live twelve hours under
water; hired desperate fellow. sunk
him in ship, by way of experiment,
and both ship and man have not ap.
| peared since. Another man and ship
are to be tried for their lives, instead of
Mr.. Blake, the assassin"
THE LATER CLURs.
One of the earliest clubs of the modern
period is 1.-THE Atheneum." 1t was
started in 1924, at a meeting in the
rooms of the Royal Society, Sir Humph
rey Davy,, Sir Walter Scott, Chantrey,
and Sir Thomas Lawrence being among
those present, and Professor Faraday
acted as secretary. 1t was then agreed
to establish the club as 1.-THE Society,""
Its name was afterwards changed to
''the AtheD@um," and in 1880 1t was
lodged in the building it now occupies,
building designed by Decimus Burton
according to Greek architecture, with
frieze exactly copied from the Panathe-
naic procession in the frieze Of the Par
thenon, and with Baily's figure of Mi
nerva over its DOric entrance portico.
The Reform Club was established by
the liberal members of Parliament, who
were working together in 1903 for the
carrying of the Reform bill. 1t was
lodged in Great George street and in
Gwydyr House, Whitehall, until the
end of 1887, when its present home was
built from the design of Barry.
The Carlton, founded by the Duke of
wellington In 1881, had, in 1886, new
house built for it in Pail Mall from the
designs of Sydney Smirke, who rebuilt
IL In 1884 on more sumptu0us scale as a
copy OF Sansovino's Libraryof st. Mark
at Venice. A combination of Sansovi-
nos Library of st. Mark and his Palaz-
20 Cornaro was designed by Messrs.
Parnell Il Smith for the Army and Navy
Clubhouse, opened in 1851.
About all the later clu bs, coming down
to the Wilmington, started in 1916,
with Douglas Jerrold for its first presi-
dent, Mr. limbs has abundance of facts
and anecdotes. He then turns back two
hundred years to talk of the
OLD COFFEE HOUSES.
A picture Of the coffee house life OF
England century and a half since, is
given in the we'll known Tourney
through England" in 17l4, thus quoted
by Mr.. limbs:
II am lodged says the tourist, in
the street called Pail Mall, the ordinary
residence of all strangers, because of its
vicinity to the Queens Palace, the Park,
the Parliament House, the theatres and
the chocolate and coffee houses, where
the best company frequent. If you
would know our manner of living, tits
thus: we rise by nine, and thosa.that
frequent great mems levees find enter
tainment at them till eleven, or, as in
Holland, go to tea tables; about twelve
the beau monde assemble In several
coffee or chocolate houses the best OF
which are the Cocoa Tree and Whites |
chocolate houses, st. James's, the Smyr-
ma, Mrs. Rochford's and the British |
coffee houses; and all these so near one
see the company Of them all. We are
carried to these places In chairs, or Sc
dams, which are here very cheap, a
guinea week, or a shilling per hour,
and your chairmen serve you for por,
tiers to run on errands, as your gondoliers
do at Venice.
1T 1t be fine weather, we take turn
into the Park till two, when we 90 to
dinner; and II it be dirty, you are en-
tertained at piquet or basset at Whites,
or you may talk politics at the Smyrna |
or st. James's. / must not forget to tell |
you that the parties have their different |
places, where, however, a stranger is |
always well received but a whig will |
no more go to the Cocoa Tree or Ozin- |
da's, than a tory will be seen at the |
coffee house St James's.
The Scots go generally to the British; |
and a mixture of all sorts to the Smyrna |
There are other little coffee houses much |
frequented In this neighborhood-Youn
Mans, for sharpers. / never was SO |
into this last; saw two or three tables |
full at faro, heard the box and dice rat |
Ting in the room above stairs, and was
surrounded by set of sharp faces, that |
was afraid would have devoured me |
with their eyes. 1 was glad to drop two |
or three BALI crowns at faro to get off |
with clear skin, and was overjoyed j |
SO got rid of them.
At two, we generally go to dinner.
ordinaries are not so common here as |
abroad, yet the French have set up two
or three good ones for the convenience of |
foreigners in Suffolk street, where one |
is tolerably well served; but the general |
way here Is to make a party at the coffee
house to go to dine at the tavern. where
we sit till six, when we go to the play;
except you are invited to the table or |
some great man, which strangers are
always. courted to and nobly enter
tained."
A curious chapter at the end of the
book has these stories of
THE ORIGIN OF TAVERN SIGNS.
1.-THE cognizances of mapy iIlustrions 1
persons connected with the Middle Ages
are still preserved in the signs attached
20 our taverns and inns. Thus the White
Hart with the golden chain was the
badge of King Richard Ii; the Ante
0pe was that Of King Henry W. the
Gathers was the cognizance of Henry
VI; and the White Swan was the de-
vice of Edward of Lancaster, his ILL
'ated heir slain at the battle of Tewkes-
bury.
before the great fire of London in
1866, almost all the liveries of the great
eudal lords were preserved at these
louses of public resort. Many of their |
1eraldic signs were then unfortunately {
ost; but the Bear and Ragged Staff,
he ensign of the famed Warwick, still
Exists as sign; while the Star of the ,
Lords Of Oxford, the brilliancy of which /
decided the fate of the battle of Barnet: