Transcribed from the 1903 Hurst and Blackett edition by David Price,
email ccx074@pglaf.org
[Picture: Susannah and the elders]
GOSSIP
IN THE FIRST DECADE OF
VICTORIA'S REIGN
By
John Ashton
AUTHOR OF
"_Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne_"
ILLUSTRATED BY REPRODUCTIONS FROM CARTOONS
AND OTHER DRAWINGS
LONDON
HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED
13, Gt. Marlborough St., W.
1903
_All rights reserved_
PRINTED BY KELLY'S DIRECTORIES LTD.
LONDON AND KINGSTON.
[Picture: Decorative flower]
PREFACE.
I have written this Gossip not only for the edification of those to whom
a portion, more or less, may be news, but for those who, like myself,
have lived through the whole of Queen Victoria's reign, to whom the
remembrance of things, almost forgotten, may bring pleasure and excite
interest. The items, herein displayed, have been gathered from many
sources, and their authenticity is guaranteed by giving the name of the
authority whence they were taken, in very many instances _ipsissima
verba_, as paraphrasing would rob them of their freshness and
individuality. All the illustrations are contemporaneous, and, good or
bad, belong to the text and should not be altered.
JOHN ASHTON.
[Picture: Decorative flower]
CONTENTS.
[Picture: Decorative flower]
CHAPTER I.
1837 The Queen's Accession--Proclamation--Funeral of 1
the King--The Queen and Social Functions--Mr.
Montefiore--Amusing Letter--Electric
Telegraph--Knocker-wrenching: Amusements of the
Young Aristocracy