The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-21

former haunt of Dickens and the wits ana
.s1,A.,-.a =, his tir-. have already men
tioned "Rule's." just of Southampton
c,ro., Ittathe most famous oyster house
~ Tondon and the occasional presence OF
ths prince OF Wales brings to the place
every swell and nobleman OF the greas
,netronolis. while on the eastern sac .,
ths rnarket is the National Sporting CLUB
snd che Pelican Club. The former was the
,,otoy,ops "Eyans Rooms" OF an earlier
49, In these two clubhouses occur the
greatest glove fights of Britain.
ei 10 con are stopping at one Of the old inns
.,a,iookino the market you are certain TO
be awakened by the steadily increasing
hmm OF the place, which begins shortly a,0
or midnight with the first arrivals OF Inc
carts Of produce from the country. ms
re crown into subdued roar, though
there "a never any yelling or hallooing per
,nitted II the sun is up and throwing Its
safTrony light through the hazy atmos-
pbere YOU will see as pretty sight down
there as eyes may look upon. Every cross
street leading to the market from Long
Acre. from Drury Lane and from the
Strand, which by regulation is completely
given I'D to this traffic until O'CLOCK,
is damned and packed to house doors Win
four. five and sometimes six lines OF carts
wagons and barrows headed in or out,
each vehicle in process Of loading or IN
loading with every manner of fruit, flower
and vegetable known TO London markets,
while the seven acres of the market itself,
most Of which is uncovered space Is APP
parentlv solid mass Of donkeys, carts,
hampers. stacks of vegetables and with
ing, wriggling human beings.
The rays of the morning sun bring OUT
tho vivid coors Of the fruit and vegetables
wonderfully. You descend TO the market
and risk your temper, if not your life, In
forcing your way through the obstinate
masses to the booths and stalls. In this
effort YOU get somewhat acquainted with
Covent Garden porters. They are huge,
hairy. rum breathed lot. Everything IS
carried from market to waiting wagons on
their heads-from 100 TO $50 pounds being
considered an ordinary load. Their head
gear is a padded yoke encircling the fore
head and resting upon the shoulders. Car
ryin9 the pad, " which was once the occu-
patton of Sims Reeves, the famous tenor, is
portering. Doing turn" is making one
trip laden, from market stall 10 wagon,
often as far as the Strand Each porter IS
licensed, receives twopence per turn" and
usually does from eight to fifteen turns"
Of a morning.
Another interesting class which is often
overlooked by visitors Is the Covent Gar
den whip miDders" These are usually
women. who for halfpenny wagon take
charge of the drivers whips, rugs and the
like. They also keep teams In line, LIT at
wheels, yank refractory horses about ike
trainers and adjudicate all differences re-
garding street rights OF teamsters. saw
one soundly trounce teamster twice her
size for disobedence. At the corner OF
Southampton Street and Strand there Is
one that is Of Amazonian size, and with
voice easily heard at Charing Cross. An
other. named Jenny" Williams. has the
west half of Southampton Street in charge.
I became quite her favorte, and she told
me in confidence that she was really not
Jenny" any longer, but genuinely Mrs.
Geneveve Brown, though the marketmen
must not know it for the world, for, said
she with knowing look, they 'as no
pashuns along o. missuses." Her father,
Joseph Williams, minded tn w'ips' for
more than forty years. Her mother took
his place when the cold man" gave out.
and Jenny the minder" is still here by
right Of heritage.
An hour or so among the porters, costers
and countrymen will provide some extraOr-
binary studies, and a most interesting
place is reached on the northern side of the
market, where, at the foot Of mountains OF
cabbages and precipices Of wagons and
hampers, you will find several hundred
peas shelters" squatting among bags OF
peas and working away with marvellous
dexterity They are usually old women.
fat and blowsy, or scraggy and lean. AS
the peas rattle into baskets or pans, the
shelters keep up a fusillade OF banter
among each other and upon all passers,
their sides shaking with laughter as some
well directed sally calls forth querulous
retort They receive one penny per quart
for Smelling the peas, and each woman will
earn from eight TO twelve pence during five
hours work In the early morning. Their
labors over, they drink and fight merrily
during the remainder of each day.
The two most interesting places, aside
from positions for character study, to be
found in the market are undoubtedly IN
the fruit and flower arcades The flowers
are in such abundance and variety that
one wonders II even In London a sale can
be found for them all Yet the flower
market is the very first TO be wholly cleared
OF its contents The flowers are crammed
together In such dense masses that one
might almost walk upon them. Asters OF
all colors and Of luxuriant growth are thu
most plentiful and striking. Roses, stocks,
mulleins, lupins beautiful bundles OF
heath. the hibiscus, lobelia, pinks, carna-
tions. Gahlias, mathiolas. marigolds, cal
colarias and splendid fuohsias charm and
lptoxicate, and contrast strangely with al.
else in the dinful place.
OF the lusciousness and variety of fruits
here exposed Americans have no adequate
idea The general understanding with Us
| l. that we are far more fortunate than Eng
land in this regard Yet saw here scores
of varieties OF English and foreign grapes,
peaches as large as cp!cket balls. glossy nee
tarDes scarlet and brown, downy apricots
freck.ed by the sun, monster plums, lus'
cious greengages. Orleans plums ana
Lwan's eggs, glowing magnum bonums.
pears from the Channel Islands and the
South Of France, mulberries, melons pine.
apples. apples in endless varieties, the au-
bergine and late Strawberries, big as
eggs. In tempting bouquets, bringing from
tenpencs TO a shilling apiece.
By 9 O'Clock the market is drowsy and
/ 81 L. 4 -, %.