"My dear," said Mrs. Durnford to her husband on his return from a long
walk, "I this morning received a letter from poor Susan Boscawen,
full of the most lively expressions of her gratitude, for the kind
assistance which you gave to her on the death of her father. She has
established herself at the Bazaar, in Soho-square, which I understand
is a most respectable institution, founded by a gentleman of
considerable opulence residing in the place, and by this means, she is
enabled to support her aged mother and her two helpless brothers. The
one you know is a cripple, and the other was born blind. If you have
no objection, I should like to take the children to town some morning,
when it would be convenient to you to accompany us, and shew them the
interior of our English Bazaar."
"Name your day and I will attend you," replied Mr. Durnford. "The sight
will be both novel and pleasing to the children, and I shall feel
myself particularly delighted in beholding the amiable Susan, placed in
a situation of safety and emolument."
"Pray, papa," said Theodore, a fine boy about ten years of age, "what
is the meaning of the word Bazaar?"
"My dear boy," replied Mr. Durnford, "the term Bazaar is given by the
Turks and Persians to a kind of Market or Exchange, some of which are
extremely magnificent; that of Ispahan, in Persia, surpasses all the
other European exchanges, and yet that of Taurus exceeds it in size.
There is the old and the new Bazaar at Constantinople, the former is
chiefly for arms, and the latter for different articles belonging
to goldsmiths, jewellers, furriers, and various other manufactures.
Our Bazaar in Soho-square, was founded by Mr. Trotter, on premises
originally occupied by the store-keeper general, consisting of
several rooms which are conveniently fitted up with handsome mahogany
counters, extending not only round the sides, but in the lower and
upper apartments, forming a parallelogram in the middle. These
counters, having at proper distances flaps or falling doors, are
in contiguity with each other, but are respectively distinguished
by a small groove at a distance of every four feet of counter, the
pannels of which are numbered with conspicuous figures, and these are
let upon moderate terms to females who can bring forward sufficient
testimonies of their moral respectability."
"It appears to me to be a most excellent establishment," said Mrs.
Durnford, "as it enables many a worthy female to dispose of the produce
of her labours, without incurring the risk of taking a shop which might
prove unsuccessful, and thus she would not only be drained of every
sixpence she possessed, but she might be reduced to actual beggary from
the failure of her first attempt."
"True, my dear," replied Mr. Durnford, "such is too frequently the
case. But in this institution no such danger can arise. The person
who from strong recommendation obtains a counter in our Bazaar, pays
daily, three-pence for every foot in length, and is not required to
hold her situation more than from day to day. I have been told, that
at present, there are upwards of a hundred females who are employed
in these rooms, and a more pleasing and novel effect can hardly be
imagined, than is here produced by the sight of these elegant little
shops, filled with every species of light goods, works of art, and
female ingenuity in general."
"Then you have seen the Bazaar, papa?" said Maria, the eldest daughter
of Mr. Durnford.
"Yes, my love," replied her father, "I went over it about five weeks
ago with Lady Bellenden, who has placed two very amiable young women
there, both of whom are the orphan daughters of a country curate, one
of them has a counter for all sorts of painted ornaments, the other
for fine needle work. But you shall see the Bazaar yourself, Maria,
and if your mother is disengaged, I think we will set out to-morrow
morning, immediately after breakfast. We shall then have plenty of
time to examine the contents of the Bazaar, and return in time to
receive our guests for dinner."
To the inexpressible delight of all the children, Mrs. Durnford
immediately assented to the proposal of her husband, and it was
agreed, that as the young people had behaved themselves lately much
to the satisfaction of their parents, they should all of them enjoy
the pleasure of a "visit to the Bazaar," except the baby in arms,
and the youngest boy.
Early the next morning Mr. and Mrs. Durnford, with Maria and Emily,
who were twins, and just turned of twelve years of age, and Caroline,
a sweet little girl about seven, accompanied by Theodore, proceeded
with light hearts and buoyant spirits to town, which was only two
miles from the residence of their father, a gentleman of large
independent fortune. They had frequently visited the metropolis, had
been once to a play, and had seen several other places worthy of
their inspection, but they all felt their curiosity strongly excited
to view the Bazaar, as well as to behold once more Susan Boscawen,
who was a daughter of a deceased tradesman, long a resident in this
village, and for whom they all entertained a sincere regard.
On arriving at the place of their destination, the young people were
surprized to see the square filled with elegant equipages, some of
them belonging to our first nobility. "I believe, my dears," said
Mr. Durnford, "that this is the first time any of you have seen
Soho-square."
"Yes, papa, it is," cried Theodore, "pray whose statue is that which I
see placed in the centre of that large area, and what are those figures
at the feet of the statue."
"It is, as you may observe, a pedestrian statue of King Charles
the Second," replied Mr. Durnford, "and those wretched mutilated
figures are emblematical of the rivers, Thames, Trent, Severn, and
the Humber. The Square was formerly called King-square, and I believe
some efforts have been made to have that name revived. It has been
greatly altered since the original disposition of the ground: then
a fountain of four streams fell into a basin in the centre; where
now stands the worn out statue of King Charles. It was once also
called Monmouth-square, the Duke of Monmouth then residing in the
second house; and tradition says, that on the death of the Duke, his
admirers changed it to Soho, being the word of the day at the
battle of Sedgemoor. The name of the unfortunate Duke is, however,
still preserved in that of Monmouth-street, long celebrated for
old shops, old clothes, and shop cellars. That house, my dears, is
celebrated as being the residence of the venerable and worthy Sir
Joseph Banks, whose whole life has been devoted to science, and the
diffusion of every branch of useful knowledge."