A Cat in a Conflagration -- Scramble for Exchequer Bills --
A Matrimonial Dispute -- An old Debtor -- A Volunteer Dinner
-- A Man and Hedgehog -- Torpedoes -- Slavery -- Gambling on
Napoleon's Life -- Gas Lighting.
And now to wind up the year with a little _de omnibus rebus_, which
would not fall into any particular place, yet are worth keeping, as
indicative of the times of which I write: they have no connection
with each other, so are taken in chronological order.
On the 4th of April, a fire broke out at the "Commercial Hall,"
Skinner Street, Newgate Street, the Hall which, valued at £25,000,
was the capital prize in the City Lottery. It was a bad fire, and
two firemen were injured, but no lives lost. When at its fiercest, a
Cat was seen on a part of the buildings which would soon inevitably
be in flames. There was no human being to be burnt, so the sympathy
of the crowd went out towards Pussy. There was no way of escape for
her, except by an alarming leap, for the walls had crumbled and
fallen in, and this leap Pussy could not make up her mind to take.
The flames were encroaching, and gathering round her, and the mental
tension of the Crowd was getting tighter and tighter every minute,
when a gentleman enthusiastically offered £5 to any one who would
rescue the Cat. A fireman was induced to make the attempt, and with
great difficulty got behind the Cat, and forced her to take the leap,
from the fifth storey, when she fell into the midst of the spectators
unhurt! The fireman immediately received his promised reward.
The following scene, of "hastening to be rich," is almost on a par
with what might be witnessed in the time of John Law and the South
Sea Bubble, or that of King George (Hudson) of Railway fame. It is
thus recorded in the _Annual Register_: "April 7: This morning, as
early as five o'clock, a crowd of brokers and others, beset the
Exchequer-bill office, in order to put down their names for funding
Exchequer Bills. Such was the scramble to get in, that a number of
the persons were thrown down, and many of them injured; some fainted
by the excessive pressure of the crowd, and a few had their coats
literally torn off their backs. The first 14 names (chiefly bankers)
subscribed seven millions out of the twelve required; and, very early
in the day, notice was given that the subscription was full....
That the first characters in the country, as bankers, merchants,
and others, are to be marshalled by police officers, exhorted to
be patient, cool, and passive, till they can enter the Exchequer
through a door, a third part opened by a chain, and of which the
aperture is scarcely sufficient for a moderate sized man to get in,
is disgraceful in the extreme."
(_Ibid._) April 11th: "For the first time this season nine Mackerel
were brought to the beach at Brighton, which were immediately
purchased for the London Market at 6s. 6d. each. The following
day, another boat arrived with 28 more, which were bought with
equal avidity at the same price. On Thursday, a third boat brought
93, which fetched after the rate of £40 per hundred. Not a single
Mackerel has been retailed there, but all have been sent off to the
metropolis."
At the Quarter Sessions held at Truro early in May a certain Joseph
Little was placed at the bar, charged with having violently assaulted
his wife. When Mrs. Little appeared to give evidence against her
turbulent mate, he addressed her in a plaintive tone, and the
following dialogue took place:--
"My dear, I am sorry to see you here."
"So am I."
"I hope you will forgive me this once, and I will never lift my hand
to you again."
"You have broke your promise so often that I cannot trust you."
"My dear life, don't send me back to prison again; you have always
been a good, honest, sober, and virtuous wife to me."
"It is for the good of your soul that you should be punished."
"You need not fear me, I will give you all my property, and part from
you, if you wish it."
"I know it is for my safety, and for your salvation, that you should
be confined a little longer."
And after this billing and cooing, John Little brought a counter
charge of assault against his wife, and was ultimately bound over to
keep the peace.
One would have thought that the great age of the undermentioned
debtor would have protected him from his ruthless creditor, who,
however, was no gainer by his act. May 13th: "A few days since, a
poor infirm man, aged 103, from Yorkshire, was delivered into the
custody of the Marshal of the King's Bench, for a debt of _Twenty
Pounds_!! The poor man's apprehensions were so great on entering
the prison, that he was seized with a sudden and violent illness,
which induced the Marshal, on a representation of the case, to have
him removed to a comfortable apartment in Belvidere Place; but,
notwithstanding every alleviation which humanity could suggest, was
promptly administered, he expired the same evening."
Next "silly season"--London Newspapers please copy: "July 21: On
Saturday se'nnight was pulled, in the garden of Mr. Jones, at
Lodge-my-Loons, a little north from Glasgow, a strawberry, which
weighed fully one ounce, and measured 6-1/2 inches by 5."
Our Volunteer officers grumble somewhat at the expenses contingent
upon their position, but they had a harder time of it under the
Regency. August 14th: "At Lincoln Assizes an action was tried,
brought by the Landlord of the Bull Inn, at Market Deeping, against
the Cornet of the Ness Volunteers for the expenses of a dinner and
liquor for 54 of the corps. The party sat down to dinner about
half-past four o'clock, and mostly retired before ten. The quantity
of liquor charged was as follows: _One hundred and twenty-six bottles
of port, forty-eight of sherry, sixty-four half-crown bowls of punch,
and twenty of negus, besides ale and porter._ The Jury gave a verdict
in favour of the innkeeper, only taking off sixpence per bottle on
the port wine."
Have we yet forgotten "Brummy" and the "Man and Dog fight" so
graphically described in _The Daily Telegraph_ by Mr. James
Greenwood? Here is a variation on the brutal theme. October 25th:
"W. Moore of Loughborough, bricklayer, a few days ago, laid a wager
of three shillings, that he could, with his hands tied behind
him, _worry to death_ a hedgehog, with his face. He commenced his
extraordinary undertaking by prostrating himself on the ground, and
attacking the exterior of his prickly antagonist with his nose. In
a few minutes his face was covered with blood, and he appeared to
have little chance of success; however, at length having pressed the
little animal till it had protruded its head, he snatched at it, and
bit it off, thereby winning the wager, to the great amusement of the
brutal spectators."
Another illustration of there being nothing new under the sun, is
that Torpedoes were known early in the Century, nay, even before
that. _The Morning Chronicle_ of October 29th has an article upon
them, part of which I transcribe:--
"AMERICAN TORPEDOES.
"Much abuse has been heaped on the American Government for
endeavouring, in their present contest with this country to avail
themselves, for the destruction of English vessels, of submarine
machines disgraceful to humanity, and contrary to the laws of
war; and it has been said that such machines would only have been
encouraged in a Jacobin State, with a Jacobin president at its head.
We are far from approving the introduction into warfare of any such
machinery as that in question. But, while we deliver this opinion we
think it but fair to state what is not so generally known; that, in
the encouragement of this disgraceful plan, we are as much concerned
as the Americans.
"In 1804 Robert Fulton, styling himself an American citizen, was
invited by Lord Liverpool, then Lord Hawkesbury, to this country, to
show his Majesty's ministers his plans of submarine navigation and
attack; and on the 20th of July that year, he entered into a contract
with Mr. Pitt and Lord Melville, the principal conditions of which
were--
"'His Majesty's Dockyards and Arsenals to make and furnish all such
articles as may be required, which are applicable to this purpose.
"'If any circumstance should arise to prevent Government carrying
this plan into execution, then the parties are to name two
commissioners, for the purpose of examining the principles, and
trying such experiments as they may think proper; and, if it should
appear to the majority of the members, that the plan is practicable,
and offers a more effectual mode of destroying the enemy's fleets at
Boulogne, Brest, or elsewhere, than any mode in practice, and with
less risk, then Government is to pay the said Robert Fulton, forty
thousand pounds, as a compensation for demonstrating the principles,
and making over the entire possession of his submarine mode of
attack.'
"When the Administration, of which Mr. Fox, and Lords Grey and
Grenville were at the head, came into office, they were a good deal
surprised, on Mr. Fulton's claiming performance of this contract,
to find that such an instrument actually was in existence. The plan
would never have met with any encouragement from that Administration;
but, as it had already been accepted, they were under the necessity
of agreeing to allow the necessary experiments to be made, or paying
the forty thousand pounds. Earl Grey, then at the head of the
Admiralty, gave orders, reluctantly enough, that Mr. Fulton should be
supplied with whatever he required as necessary for the success of
his experiment, and the execution was entrusted to one of the ablest
and most enterprizing officers of the Navy. Several attempts were
made on the enemy's vessels at Boulogne; but from one circumstance
or other, the plan was found impracticable. On Mr. Fulton's still
insisting on the payment of the forty thousand pounds, the matter
was submitted to four arbitrators, who, after a full investigation,
pronounced the plan not so far _novel, practicable, or effective_, as
to entitle Mr. Fulton to the sum in question."
The Slave Trade Bill of 1807, it must be remembered, did not
_abolish_ Slavery, but only prohibited the Traffic in Slaves; so
that no vessel should clear out from any port within the British
Dominions, after May 1, 1807, with Slaves on board, and that no Slave
should be landed in the Colonies after March 1, 1808. So that the
following advertisement in _The Morning Chronicle_ of November 16th
was strictly within the bounds of legality:--
"JAMAICA SLAVES to be Let or Sold, being Fifty-four in Number, all
young or middle-aged, of both sexes, and well seasoned, having for
some years worked together in the parish of Clarendon. Any purchaser
with good security would have every reasonable indulgence for his
payments."
I am bound to say that this advertisement was a novelty in an English
Newspaper; and, in the same journal of November 19th, appeared an
indignant letter on the subject.
"SIR,--Nothing can be more repugnant to the feelings of Englishmen,
than to read in an English Newspaper, peculiarly devoted to the
cause of Freedom, the advertisement which appeared in the first
page of Tuesday's _Chronicle_, relative to the offer of 'Fifty-four
Jamaica Slaves.' Surely, Sir, this offensive advertisement must have
been inserted without due consideration, and, I am sure, _without
your knowledge_; especially at the time when we are about to
_Christianize_ the whole world!
"For the sake of humanity, and the best feelings of every true
Briton, I trust that this abominable advertisement will not make
its appearance a second time in your respectable Paper, and remain,
yours, &c.,
"LIBERTAS."
"Among the gambling policies ever open in the city, the 'life
of Bonaparte' has long been a favourite object for scandalous
speculations, and for the last twelve months had been _done_ at
from 2 to 2-1/2 per cent. per month, as the dangers to which he
was exposed seemed to diminish or increase. In the beginning of
this present December, policies to a _very large amount_ have been
negotiated, and _Twelve Guineas_ given to receive One Hundred, if the
Tyrant be alive on the 1st of January."
Gas lighting in the streets of London was first introduced in
August, 1807, when Golden Lane Brewery, and a portion of Beech and
Whitecross Streets were illuminated by its means. The Gaslight and
Coke Company got their Charter in 1810, and had lamps outside their
offices in Pall Mall; but progress in this direction was very slow,
and the old oil lamps died hard. We read in _The Morning Chronicle_
of December 20th: "The Gas lights which have been exhibited in the
two Palace Yards, and in some of the streets of the neighbourhood,
during the sitting of Parliament, will, upon its adjournment, be
discontinued; and those places only be lighted, for which the Company
has contracts."