The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1869-05-26

cridiron for its badge, which succumoed a
few days ago, should have ceased long since,
having survived the days of its glory. The
members who last filed those seats, fashioned
after the style of those used of yore by the
monks of Glastonbury Abbey, with the addi-
tion of a gridiron carved in panels and sur
rounded bv the legend Beef and Liberty"
could not, it appears, abide by the sumptuary
law which prohibited, at the weekly sitting,
the use of any other drink than arrack, punch
and port-port especially being strongly OBJ
iected to- as well as claret, which, In spirit
of friendly compromise, was proposed to be
substituted by the benign president, whose
heart-strings are fairly torn at the dissolution.
The Sublime Society comes to sad ending,
and how low 1t had fallen-to twenty-iour
members, successors to the blue ribbons and
silver gridiron badge of hosts of illustriors
names-may be judged from the last verse OF
the last song sung at their last meeting, In
their last retreat in a room at the Lyceum
Theatre, described by Allan Cunningham as
"a little Eseurial in itself, most appropriately
fitted up, the doors, wainscoting and ROOF OF
good old English oak, ornamented with grld-
irons as thick as Henry the Seventh's Chapel,
with the Portcullis of the Founder. The
words have reference to the original gridiron,
composed of fiat, circular, iron rim, crossed
By fire-eaten bars, the parts here and there
only held together by wire;
Nav that relic survive as with care it needs must,
Till the last Of its votaries is laid in the dust,
And then let it mingle its time-h onored rust
With the jolly old Rockers Of England,
Oh, the old English Beefsteaks.
This relic had the good fortune to be res
cued from two fires the one which drove
the Society from the old Drury Lane Theatre,
and again from the Opera House, where it
next took up its abode. The wine in the
cellars of the Society, in each instance, was
lost; but the gridiron, the charter CT its lib
critics, personal was saved.
The Sublime Society was originated in Old
Dury Lane Theatre in l735, by the comedian
Rich, who possessed a noble room" above
the stage Rich having been visited one Sat
urday evening by Mordaunt, Earl of Penn
broke, and the friend of Pope, the old peer
was so entertained by the "situations" Rich
was preparing, and still more by his lively
conversation, that he trenched on the COM
edian's supper-hour, and was nothing 10th
to share with him his supper of beeisteak
and punch. The delighted peer solicited per
mission to visit Rich the succeeding Satur-
day, and to bring friend with him. The
fare was still the same; the visits were re-
peated, with additions to the company, and
the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks was estab-
| lished.
To grind their gravy out their jaws employ,
Ger heaps Of reeking steaks express their joy,
And sing of Beef as Homer did Of Troy.
Rich, with silver gridiron in hand, and
drumming on the bars, would imiIatate, to
the delight OF the company, Spaniard sere-
nading his donna with guitar and madrigal.
The Society, thus augmented established
rules, and soon descended TO lower region,
where, on a curtain being uplifted, could be
seen, through iron bars, the culinary process,
cooks flying hither and thither to meet the
exacting demands of the band. Conspicu-
ously placed was an inscription from Mac
beth:
If it were DONE when tits DONE then 'twere well
1t were done quickly.
Charles, Duke of Norfolk q member of the
Society at the commencement of this centu-
~, was famous for the number of steaks he
would consume. Two or three steaks having
vanished, his grace would rub the plate with
shalot for the reception of another, the third
course being a steak from the middle of the
rump, where, according to the canons OF the
Society," lurked the fifth essence. 1t was to
this Society that Wilkes sent his infamous
Essay on Woman" after which he found
the place too hot for him.
By the fire at Drury Lane in 1908, was lost
the volume of witty sayings of the members
of the Society, which a chronicler of the
period declares was "as thick as bale of
Dutch linen" How columns might be filled
with the happy illusions of wit and senti-
ment that sparkled at the Saturday meetings
of the Society There was Dick Wilson, an
excellent secretary, who was made for years
unconsciously the butt of the members, So
licitous as to his experiences on his trip to
the Continent, telling how he enjoyed the
bouleVardS served up for dinner, and how
he had ordered a peasant to be roasted, in
stead of a pheasant.
There is a certain freemasonry among men
of genius aud the membership of the Society
was regarded as including a species of broth
erhood. Chetwood, in his "History of the
Stage" published in 1749, thus writes of
them: "They call themselves the Steaks
and abhor the notion of being thought
club" All was equality; and in obtaining
brandy or port from tine cellar each of the
members served in the capacity of butler.
Brougham, in his palmiest days, would not
hesitate to descend the trap-door to the
vaults, returning promptly with the re-
quired supplies. 1t was at one OF the meet
ings of this Society, when the Duke of Nor
folk was far gone in his cups, that Kemble,
to whom the Duke had lamented the slender
circumstances of such a man of genius as
Charles Morris, addressed the astonished
nobleman, with pathetic appeal to his gen.
erous feelings on behalf of Morris, pointing
out to his grace that it was unworthy of a
man to lament what he could remedy, and
that his grace had 1t in his power, by giving
Morris corner of his "almOst unbounded
complished poet. The Duke stared, and said
nothing, but shortly afterwards Morris found
himself the ownor of beautiful villa on the
banks of the Thames, and he happily lived
to good old age to enjoy the opportune
gift.
The Society possessed 10 the last one nota-
BILE memorial. This was the three-corned
hat which Garrck left in haste on being sum
moned to his part, in Drury Lane, in the
drama of The Beggars. On entering the
scene-r0om, one of the proprietors remarked
to him Mr.. Garrick, in view of the stake
that you, as well as /, have in this theatre, /
should have thought you would have at
tended closer TO business" "Why," re-
sponded Garrick, 81 was myself thinking of
the steak, but it was the steak of the So
ciety."
These memorials have no virtue to recall
the wit and humor of their former possess
ors; they are but meaningless symbols of
doubtful repute, and if not valued by the
mem beers, certainly will not be valued by the
public. How little of social consequence
or wealth, or dignity, turks in the dregs Of
this time-worn and exhausted Society, may
be judged from the fact that the memorials
are shortly to be put up at public auction,
and the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks is
appropriate phrase l-"done brown"
ROYAL CoMPLMESrs.-After dinner 1 gen.
orally smoked a cigar with Rossini. One eve
ming, handing me regalia, he said, These
cigars bear your name, because they were first
made for Ferdinand VII. "His Majesty
must have been good judge. A" He smoked
the whole day" said Rossini. al had the
honor to be presented to him at Madrid His
exterior was not particularly charming or clean.
After we had exchanged few words he very
Eir1Ixr haI bad a. -