The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-16
How o Fishing Village Grew To Be
Lond0n-by.the.Sea.
SAILOR KING WllllAM's RETREAT.
Deserted by Royalty, Taken Up by the
People, It PrOSperS withOutParallel.
MIXED COMPANY" ON THE PARADE.

}unattc asylum "a morbid enjoyment which has
great attractions for some Of us to have dscoursed
with mild, inonensive man, who has talked 30 ra'
ti0uary upon various ordinary topics that you
ind next to impossible to believe he Is detained
there as patient. On representing this to the
physician in attendance he suggests that you
should introduce into your conversation some reier
enCe to the law OF gravitaton. you 40 80 anu
Immediately your mild and docile iriend Ialis lut0
Bputtering commissions OF rage, declaring himself
20 be the apple the fall Of which Sir Isaac Newton
watched, and revlling that eminent philosopher ID
terms such as you hardly imagine could nave
existed in his vocabulary. Though not developed
TO so great ana so dangerous extent this pretty
much the way with all we have all OF US - kink"
somewhere; tender spot, on which we cannot
bear the smallest pressure; a cherished fancy or
phantasy, with which we will allow no liberties to
be TAKEN This Is the case with vast number Of
Londoners In regard to Brighton. You may sheer
at them as Cockneys, you may mock them for mis-
pronouncing their his, you may point at them the
finger OF for being at the same time ignorant
and conceited and they will bear 1t; but II you say
anything In dsparagement OF Brighton they Will
blaze out at you at once. 1t is their own London
supermare part and parcel Of themselves. They
laugh when they hear Scarborough spoken OF as
the queen Of watering places they scon when they
hear mention made OF any rival sea-coast place
and they quote Thackeray, who says in the begin
ming OF the ''Newcomes," mo fly so pleasant as
Brighton fys, nor any cliffs so pleasant to ride on;
no shops 80 beautiful to look at as The Brighton
jim-crack shops, and the fruit shops, and the
market"
Continually there are schemes ventilated for
bringing the sea water from Brighton to London,
but they are always laughed to scern. The sea
water is only portion OF Brighton say the Lon
doners, and you cannot bring up the Cliffs, the sun
light and the brisk air blowing on the Downs; the
pipes not yet made which could convey to US the
sense Of holiday and relaxation, the temporary for
getfuness OF toil the sail in the Skylark and the
pint OF shrimps the colore Observation-Disclosures
These are q few OF the delights Of Brighton, but
only few. No wonder, then, that 1t is a favorite
with population "hoveiled and hustled together
like swine," pent up In miserable and alleys,
from years end to years end.
A HISTORIC VIEW OF THE FAvoRIrE.
Only Of comparatively recent years has Brighton
become popular place, in the strict sense OF the
word. A hundred years ago IL was Brighthem-
stone, little fishing village, and as such it was
visited by DR.. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale and Fanny
Burney, the author Of Cecilia" But its transiorma-
ton was imminent. Twelve years afterwards the
Prince Regent, who afterwards blossomed into that
great and good King George ". OF piou3 and
immortal memory, took an immense fancy to the
place and established II as his marine head
quarters. There, at his Royal Highness command,
Mr.. Nash, the architect, built for him the celebrated
Pavilion after the style Of Chinese architecture,
q series of minarets and pagodas hideous to look
ut and uncomfortable to dwell in, which has been
the scorn OF successive generations Of writers.
"Will you do me o favor fn writes Sir Walter Scott
In 1885, "Set fire to the Chinese stables, ana II it
embraces the whole OF the Pavilion It will rid me
9af And 1rnl.l
stigmatized by Mr. George Augustus sala as ''rhis
po;-bellied palace, this minaretted mushroom
this absurdity, this giided dirple, this congeres
of Dubious excrescelces, as gaudy and as ex-
pensve as Dutch tulips and as useless"
But its royal master delighted In 1t, and
there he assembled the wits and the dandies. and
the politicians the beauties, the coqucts and the
fntriguantes who constituted his court, and who
plotted and caballed against his father. the blind
old King at Windsor Castle Thither came Beau
Brummel ano Sheridan and Charles James Fox
There Captain Morris sung his witty bacchanalian
ballad, there Lord Moird acted as kind OF premier
to the Regent, and there Mrs. Fitz Herbert, the
beautiful and Mrs. Fox the clever struggled for the
nscendancy. Under the royal patronage houses
spread out on all sides and the place grew from
hshing village into vast pleasure town. Tie chain
pier was built where for the sum OF twopence you
can go out TO sea and pace the vast deep without
the need OF steward or q basin," as Thackeray
said persons OF the highest fashion made Brighton
as II then began to he called, their Winter guar ters
the Brighton stage coaches were driven by ordings
and baronets, and there was no pleasant ter merrier
wickeder place.
George the Fourth died and Sailor King william
feigne0 in his stead-a blum, redfaced, SIMPLE
minded monarch, who liked Brighton well enough
and spent much OF his time there. King williams
Queen Adelaide, was essentially quiet and domes.
TIC. There were none OF the 'high links, " none Of
the balls aud supper parties and high living which
had characterized the previous reign, and, the
iashonabes gradually withdrawing themselves
IL became evident that Brighton was going down.
As was supposed, the final blow to its reputation
was gwen to 1t BY the present Queen who objected
TO 1t AS place OF residence ana withdrew from IL
her royal countenauce ana support.
DESERTED By COURT IT BECOMES TRULY poPrrAp
But during all this time power stronger and
more tasting than that OF royalty had been gradu.
ally growing up. The railway-that great leyeller
OF distinctions--had been laid down between
Brighton and the metropolis, and sick and weariea
Londoners found that they had at their doors
.urb-a bright, brisk, health-gvlng resort-cbeaply
and easily attanable. The houses which had
Suiced for the fashionable few all too sparse
fol the pleasure-seeking many. Crescents, Ter.
races and squares, all let out as lodgings, rose in
every dirccLOn; splendtQ hotels were built and
public institutions OF every kind undertaken. Nav
the Pavilion itself became q pubic institution
IN 1850 II was purchased by the town OF Brighton
for 10000. its gardens thrown OPEN its sentry.
boxes carried OIL, railing substituted for Its
wall. The divinity which hedged around the King
has been grubbed up and pitched over the Cliff
Into the sea. On payment OF sixpence you or | or
any OF us can walk through the rooms where
George, the Magnificent, held riotous revel, huss
clos, with mis- friends and mistresses Some Of the
apartments are retained BY the Brighton munich
very laughter and light love whispers now echo
with references to water-rates and paving
Jobs. others are let out for public purposes
and In them you can hear lecturers or look at
giants whose pIacards and efigies nap In the wind
against the erst royal portals. In the garden
where fifty years ago ladies' In huge poke bOnnets
and leg-oi.mutton sleeves listened TO the blandish-
ments OF beaux In fore-and-aft cooked hats pauta-
looms tied with silk round the ankles striped stock
tngs ara pumps, you now, on payment or sixpence,
promenade once or twice week. listening To the
music Ol excellent military band, or watching