The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-05-05
Topper Haunts in London.


ed BY King Charles, who, for the poor fee OF
an annual three pounds sterling, granted
licenses TO tavern-keepers TO sell wines at all
prices they pleased, in spite of all statutes
10 the contrary. You may fancy how flushed
the face of the thirsty cockney might become,
who, on putting down his eight-pence for
quart of claret was told by Francis, the draw
er. that the price was fun quarter noble, or
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Lord Goring, who is
sued these licenses. pocketed q respectable
amount of fees in return.
By statute. London had authority only for
the establishment of forty taverus- But what
did registering George Goring care for stat
ute. since the king gave him license to ride
over its Taverns multiplied accordingly,
not only in the city, but in those suburbs"
as they were once called, fragrant Drury
Lane. and refined Convent Garden With
competition came lower prices, however, and
the throats of the Londoners were refreshed,
while their purses were not so speedily light
ened Jolly places they became again; but
when they not only increased all over the
town but took TO "vietualliug," as il was
termed. as well as "liquoring,n the authori-
ties began TO inquire into the matter. With
the clAret that was drank. corresponding
amount of yenison was eaten At the same
time, the kings bucks began to disappear,
and suspicion arose that gentlemen in taverns
dined of his sacred majesty's deerl A watch
was set to prevent such felonious fare being
carried into London from any OF the royal
parks, chases or forests. Still, launches
smoked on the boards of those naughty
yictualiug taverns, and naughty cockneys,
ssgreatly daring, dinedi :" The stolen bucks
were Struggled in over Bow Bridge; and not
till that passage was occupied by representa-
tives of legal authority did the venison in
tended for the court cease TO lind its way 10
the city.
The drama at this time, fingered about
Blaekfriars and the Bankside Bacehus emf
grated westward, before Thespis. In 1888,
in Convent Garden, and the little lane ada
cent, which had then just begun 10 be called
Russell Street, there was not less than eight
taverns and twenty ale houses This was
thought to be so much beyond the require
ments of the public thirst, that an order was
issued TO reduce the number of taverns to
two, and 10 reduce the number of ale houses
TO four. The suburban public cried out
against the drinking privileges of the city,
where claret was tapped in taverns, and ale
rau from the spigot from before breakfast
till after supper time The Council directed
the attention of the Lord Mayor thereto, and
in 1888 inquiry was made as to how many
taverns had been newly opened since the
year 1912 The reply was, "sixty and one"
In the return, it is pleasant 10 read OF the
"Boar's Head as "an ancient tavern"
Teetotallers will, perhaps, entertain due re-
gard for "Bagsishaw Ward as being the
only one in the city, described as having
"never a tavern within that ward" But
then Basing Hall, or Bagsishaw Ward, was
of such small extent as 10 be rather contem-
tuously spoken of by Stowe himself, who
calls it "a small thing consisting of one
street" An inhabitant of this ward had,
therefore, only to step into the next street if
he wanted a stoup of Bordeaux, or tlagon
of ale If he swore over his liquor, he was
liable to the penalty of q shilling; and il he
went on his way home noisily, with more
claret under his belt than he well knew how
TO carry, ne was mulcted of a crown. These
fines were distributed among the poor, so
that the more drinking and profanity abound
ed, the better it was for the poor. To be
blasphemous, was to be on one of the blessed
paths of charity.
City chronicles tell of one Richard Dixon,
who, having more of an eccentric compass
sion for the distressed than regard for pro-
priety, swallowed his claret, swore g score
of oaths, and deposited twenty shillings with
the town clerk for London paupers. Sober
people in the city, however, complained of
the increasing number of inns and taverns
Orders were issued accordingly, and BOni
face here and there took down his bush at
the beginning of the week, but hung it up
again before Saturday. The temperance par
~ furnished a list of 2ll tayerns, new and
old, in the city, in October, 1868 At that
time, Shakespeare's and Washington Irying's
"Boar's Head" in Easlchap, was kept by
one William Leedes, mot by any license
from the Kings majesty but las q free
man" VIII Leedes may well have seen
Shakespeare, who had not been dead then
score Of years; and We may fancy mine hosts
guests discussing the second edition of the
Folio which had then been out of the press
not much over year.
In spite of the law for the suppression of
certain taverns, these remained open, and
new inns were built. The fashion and deli
cacy of Drury Lane were deeply affected by
the threatened building of a tavern in that
refined locality, in addition to eleven already
existing there The master of his majesty's
tents, one Thomas Jones, resided in Drury
Lane, and he petitioned the Council to pro-
hibit the above building, as being to the great
prejudice of the royal tent-master and 9th |
er neighbors, being men of excellent quail |
ty." The greatest blow at the old taverns, !
was the prohibition Of victualling. Tavern !
keepers beset the king for licenses TO cook |
and retail meat, il being, says one petition, |
a. thing much desired by noblemen and gen |
tlemen of the best rank, and others, Cfor the |
which, if they please, they may also contract |
beforehand, as is the custom in other coun- |
tries) there being no other fit place for them |
to eat in the city, This was in Cheapside; /
but there was also Viii Mead's house in 1
Broad street. 1t had ever been resorted to I
by citizens and foreigners, on account of its |
famous fish dinners. The company had /
always been of the very best quality; gentle |
folk, who couformed themselves to the laws /
made for eating fish upon days appointed. |
If Will Mead be not permitted to yend his |
Lenter fare, then he is deprived of his best |
way of subsistence, having applied himself |
and bred up many servants only for the dres
sing of fish" As license had been given to |
prays for similar license to dress and vend fish /
also. VIII was landlord of that very "a Mer-
maid" of which Mr.. Tuckeman speaks in
his first essay-the " Mermaid" of Ben John
son, who had then just closed his dramatic
career with Loves Welcome the Mer-
maid' which, some thirty years earlier, had
been kept by the poets namesake, johnson,
and which had been Mermaid" when
men of quality took their wine, as early at
least as the time when the Houses of York
and Lancaster were at bloody strife for the
crown of "this our England"
But occasionally, men of quality died, as
well as drank, in London inn. | am not
sure that it was not in this very Mermaid +"
that Richard de Grey, the sixth Lord Grey OF
Ruthyn, died in 1923, an utterly penniless
gambler. His son Henry, from poverty, new
er assumed anv title of honor, and it was not
until the time of his great-grandson, Regi-
Maid, that the honor and fortune were restOr-
ed to family of which the present Baroness
Grey de Ruthyn is the representative.
The RICHEST Boy IN AMERIcA-The
papers are telling about some boy in New
England, now fourteen years of age, who is
supposed TO be the richest boy in America,
because he has great deal Of money. To
our mind the richest boy in America, is the
one who is good hearted, honest, intelligent
and ambitious TO do right. He is the one
rrh n lnn-as hia nathan and oil haa |