“Only a penny--only a penny, walk up--pray walk up.” So called out a man
with a loud voice, on an elevated stage, while a long drum and
hurdy-gurdy played away; I complied with the invitation, and went in to
see what the show-cloths described, “MISS HIPSON, _the Middlesex Wonder;
the Largest Child in the Kingdom, when young the Handsomest Child in the
World.--The Persian Giant.--The Fair Circassian with Silver Hair.--The
Female Dwarf, Two Feet, Eleven Inches high.--Two Wild Indians from the
Malay Islands in the East_,” and other wonders. One of these “Wild
Indians” had figured outside the show, in the posture represented in the
engraving; in that position he was sketched by an artist who accompanied
me into the show, and who there drew the “little lady” and the “gigantic
child,” Miss Hipson.
[Illustration: ~Miss Hipson; the female Dwarf; and the Malay.~]
When a company had collected, they were shown from the floor of a
caravan on wheels, one side whereof was taken out, and replaced by a
curtain, which was either drawn to, or thrown back as occasion required.
After the audience had dispersed, I was permitted by the proprietor of
the show, Nicholas Maughan, of Ipswich, Suffolk, to go “behind the
curtain,” where the artist completed his sketches, while I entered into
conversation with the persons exhibited. Miss Hipson, only twelve years
of age, is remarkably gigantic, or rather corpulent, for her age,
pretty, well-behaved, and well-informed; she weighed sixteen stone a few
months before, and has since increased in size; she has ten brothers and
sisters, nowise remarkable in appearance: her father, who is dead, was a
bargeman at Brentford. The name of the “little lady” is Lydia Walpole,
she was born at Addiscombe, near Yarmouth, and is sociable, agreeable,
and intelligent. The fair Circassian is of pleasing countenance and
manners. The Persian giant is a good-natured, tall, stately negro. The
two Malays could not speak English, except, however, three words, “drop
o’ rum,” which they repeated with great glee. One of them, with long
hair reaching below the waist, exhibited the posture of drawing a bow;
Mr. Maughan described them as being passionate, and showed me a severe
wound on his finger which the little one, in the engraving, had given
him by biting, while he endeavoured to part him and his countryman,
during a quarrel a few days ago. A “female giant” was one of the
attractions to this exhibition, but she could not be shown for illness:
Miss Hipson described her to be a very good young woman.
There was an appearance of ease and good condition, with content of
mind, in the persons composing this show, which induced me to put
several questions to them, and I gathered that I was not mistaken in my
conjecture. They described themselves as being very comfortable, and
that they were taken great care of, and well treated by the proprietor,
Mr. Maughan, and his partner in the show. The “little lady” had a
thorough good character from Miss Hipson as an affectionate creature;
and it seems the females obtained exercise by rising early, and being
carried into the country in a post-chaise, where they walked and thus
maintained their health. This was to me the most pleasing show in the
Fair.