m^'^ ->^- \ y 'y'^^\. ^^^ %. t ti ■ Mr PBATT, Engraved by (,/7/>/////- /'f///,nv? . from a Pamtine". Tjy- . //.'_ 'rr/f/f. /■iM.'Aa /imu'-jtfof h/ RichailPhinipj 6 A'^»-^r!^ae rtT-eet J* HARVEST-HOME: CONSISTING OF SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS, ORIGINAL DRAMAS and POEMS, CONTRIBUTIONS OF LFTERARY FRIENDS, AND SELECT RE-PUBLICATIONS, XNCL17DIKO SYMPATHY, A Poem, REVISED, CORRECTED, AND ENLARGED. rROM THE EIGHTB ESITIOK. IN THREE VOLUMES. By Mr. PRATT. /' Turn ut varietas occurrerit satietati. " CIC. ORAT. VOL. L LONDON: PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS, 6, NEW BRIDGE-STREET, BLACKFKIAR3. 1805, '••'r*' ;'. r'l •*Cl • •*. "' ' '*».•••• ,; .. .*, ,» t«». . W.Marchant, Printer, 3, Greville-Street, Holbora. PI^ S\S^ F8 H v/. 1 TO THE FMNCE OF WALES, SIR, 1 HIS is not the first time that I have had the honour and the felicity to present my respectful homage to your Royal Highness, through the medium of the press ; and I congratulate myself on this renewed opportunity of expressing that unfeigned and dutiful devotion, which I can never cease to feel for a Prince, whose noble mind and generous patron- age reflect a lustre on his exalted rank, and render him at once the hope and th^ a 2 IV DEDICATION. glory of the most distinguished nation, and the happiest country on earth. At a moment like the present, it would be unpardonable, in a votary of litera- ture and lover of mankind, not to em- brace the earliest opportunity to join my sincere homage, however feeble, to that of an enlightened empire, on your Royal Highnesses encouragement to the cause of literature, by unrolling, transcribing, and deciphering, the almost perished MSS. of Herculaneum and Pompeii. This, Sir, alniost without a figure, is helping the Phoe- nix of Wisdom to rise resplendent from her ashes. It is a circumstance worthy the pa- tronage of the heir-apparent to the crown of that country, which, perhaps, more fond- ly and truly than any other, knows how to appreciate and to employ the intellectual DEDICATION". V treasures, which, by the ardent liberality of such patronage, may be brought to light. The benevolence and spleiiddlir of the design can be surpassed only by the dignified radiance which must beam from the execution; and the degree of gratitude, which will be due to the illus-'^ trious patron, from the accomplishment of an object so sublime and important, cannot be bounded by time present, but will have immeasurable claims on the gratitude of posterity. The gracious and condescending per- mission which I have received, to Uy these volumes at your Royal Highnesses f6et, does not, I am sensible, justify me in presuming to go beyond the strict line of duty and attachment in this public ad- dress; otherwise I could, with pleasure. Vi DEDICATION. aad with truth, enlarge on many traits of your illustrious character, which, in any situation, are calculated to engage and to endear. It is enough for me to be allowed to declare the due sense I entertain of your Royal Highnesses good- ness, and to add my fervent prayers to those of millions, for the increase of whatever can contribute to your hap- piness and glory, and that of your august family. « Yet, on this occasion, in which, per- haps, my literary labours, on a subject more immediately connected with my dear native land, are to be finally closed, I hope it will not be deemed irrelevant or ostentatious to remark, that, as far as my bumble influence could extend, I have ever studied to give ardour to ge- DEDICATION". Vll nuine loyalty and legitimate patriotism. This reflection is dearer to me than fame, and will be my pride and my consolation during the remainder of my days. Few are called, or qualified, to fill im- portant stations in the state, or to per- form the essential services, which a MoiRA is ever ready to discharge, for the benefit of his country and his friends ; yet, in everi/ sphere of life, an active mind, directed to proper objects, may produce some beneficial effects, and in- crease the public store of national feli- city! Even a single taper serves to illu- mine the surrounding shades, while the glorious orb of day, with all his splen- dour, cannot at one and the same time Vm DEDICATION* throw a light on more than one-half of our habitable globe ! I have the honour to be, with the most profound duty and attachment, Sir, / Your Royal Highness's most obliged, and ever-devoted serv^ant, S. J. PRATT. PREFACE, Xjlnd wherefore Harvest-Home ?'* This has been a question put to the Author of the following work by various friends. Many were of opinion, such a title could not be made out, either lite- rally or metaphorically. 'Some deemed it a misnomer. In rural business, said they, the Harvest-men precede the Glean- ers. It was remarked, in answer, that the leasing-time frequently accom- panies the sheaving and carrying so closely, that a field is scarcely cleared of what may be called the farmers X PREFACE. crop, before the gleaner-train are allow- ed to gather what is considered as their perquisite. In Norfolk, for instance, the labourers and the leasers are at their distinct em* ployments in the same enclosure, and at the same time. The carts and waggons are heaped by one party, while the other is picking up the allowance from the ground that has been left to their indus- try. In effect, therefore, the agricul- tural image is correct. But, without any further defence or appropriation of this title, however tenable, the Au- thor has more interesting reasons for de- nominating these volumes " Harvest- Home.^' Of these reasons, the details of sonje, as little interesting to the public in gene- ral, however dear the recollection may be to the Author, are necessarily waved in this place ; but many generous hearts PREFACR. Xi among his private friends and patrons will perfectly understand the circumstances to which he alludes ; and he can never cease but with life to feel, in its fullest force, the impression which their liberal encouragement has made. A public reason, however, for giving the title of " Harvest-Home'' to the prcsent work, may be fairly deduced from this circumstance. — Some ingenious and benevolent friends, understanding that the Author had a more than common in- terest in the success of these volumes, en- tered so heartily into the spirit as well as the letter of his design, that they volun- tarily made free-will offerings to com- plete his load. Hence, the grain, as ari- sing from different well-cultivated soils, will be found more rich and various than if drawn exclusively from one spot, as I the respective contributions will testify ; XII PREFACE. and thus gives an additional propriety to the name he has used. Would that the Author could make good his title in a yet more important matter ! — If the united efforts of himself and his friends prove a harvest of amuse- ment to the public, it will, indeed, give both propriety and impression to the name — it vrould be a Harvest Home of which the Author might justly be proud 1 INTRODUCTION. A HE title then, I trust, is thus made goo(J; a yet more difficult task remains : that of re- conciling certain fastidious readers and snarl- ing critics to the particular appellation of the Jirst volume. Methinks I hear one of the lat- ter exclaim, " What ! more dying speeches," more " Gleanings " — Adieus upon adieus ! But, it is no more than might be expected. Authors, like lovers, seldom keep their word. They bid farewel only to return, and threaten departure, only to be invited back. Nay, but " hear, hear ! " Suffer me to ex- plain^ my impatient friend. XIV INTRODUCTION. In one of the closing pages of his last volume,* tlie Gleaner, — pardon the usage of a term, \yhich predilection, habit, and suc- cess has rendered interesting — the Gleaner ob- served, that, as pu-blic events then presented such striking views and transitions of objects, both at home and abroad, not to have attempt- ed a Portrait of the British countenance, mind, and character, at the most trying crisis ; and to place it before a conscious public in the most affecting attitudes would have been inconsist- ent with the loyalty he owes, and which he delights to pay his country. He was hence detained, in the city of won- ders, by fetters not to be broken. Weeks, months, yea, summer months, which, in happier - and more tranquil times, he had been wont to pass amidst fields, gardens, and cottage-scenery, with the rural muses and friends whom he loved, were suffered to roll away unregretted and al- most unperceived. Mean while, a full third of what was in- * Third of " Gleanings in England," lately publisheil. INTRODUCTION. XV tended to have been brought into the pubhca- tion alluded to was withheld, to make way for temporary, yet commanding, matter, together with the occasional compositions of years, which could not have been included in that volume, even had no local subjects inter- vened. A SELECTION, therefore, from the reserves will now be laid before the reader, in the first volume of the Harvest- Home, without any other alteration of the Gleaner's customary forms than dividing them into their appropri- ate STATIONS. These matters being premisedj the Gleanef^ will not doubt, that most of his readers are satisfied with the motives which bring him before them onc^ more, to the extent of about a third of the work, in his long-adopted cha- racter. He could adduce many proofs, from some even of the awful ordef of critics, pur- porting a warm wish, united by fair advice, that he should re- visit you in that character, and with sheaves in hand, for many a. year XVi INTRODUCTION. to come. He blesses God, not a few would, he knows, give him a similar welcome, were he to make an annual offering, in some form or another, so long as he shall live. While even those, who " are nothing if they are not critical," might, with reason, hail his periodical returns, were it only for the sake of giving them fiesh opportunities of shewing their own wit, acumen, or their bitterness in exposing his imperfections. If there are pleasures in madness known only to the insane, there must, surely, be delights in malevolence with which none but the envious or ill-natured are ac- <^uainted. At least, the blessing of a good and generous temper can be enjoyed, perhaps con- ceived, by those only who have the happiness to possess it. Thus, then, it seems to be clear, that all possible readers will be more or less accom- modated, after their different fashions and feel- ings, with the. Gleaning compartment of this work. The more miscellaneous divisions of it shall be briefly prefaced, in their order,. IXTRODUCTION, ^XVU ji Now, as to an etenjal farewel, the Author cannot see, in this fair view of things on all sides of the question, how such a separation would be for the benefit of any of the parties concerned. There are few things not purely evil, says an eminent moralist, of which we can say, without some emotion of uneasiness, this is THE LAST. Those who never could agree to- gether, shed tears when mutual discontent has determined them to final separation. Of a place which has been frequently visited, though with- out pleasure, the last look is taken with heavi- ness of heart; and the Gleaner, like the Idler, would not be unaffected by the thought, were he certain that his last address, to friends who have been kind, or critics who have been candid, was now before him. Upon the whole, then, from a review of the present bill of fare, in which many articles of Sauce and Garnish, that will be produced at the feast, are not included, he indulges the hope, that he does not vainly flatter himself VOL. I. b XVlll INTRODUCTION^ his guests will set down with good humour and keen appetites to his "Harvest-Home," to which he invites both old and new friends; assuring them of his hearty welcome, and of his best endeavours to render their entertain- ment and accommodations agreeable. CONTENTS FIRST VOLUME. xIaMPSHIRE Station. — Introductory remarks — General description of Hampshire — Southampton described, by a new correspondent — Provincial corruptions — Petition of of the letter H — Superstitions of the lower classes — Old pine of Portsmouth — The St. Ives' sexton — A genuine trait of unlettered simplicity — Church-yard anecdotes in South- ampton — Prospect from It6hen-Ferry .... Page 1 Hampshire Station continued. — Tlie first literary contribution — Detached historical circumstances relative to Southamp- ton — Prayer of Henry II. — Penance at the tomb of Becket — Visit of King John — Anecdote of a patriot, sacrified in the reign of Richard II. for his good intentions toward Southampton — Anecdote of the son of the King of Sicily — Unmanly conduct of the Emperor of the French in de- taining, as hostages or prisoners, those who passed over to the continent during the peace, for the sake of health, curi9- b 2 XX CONTENTS. sity, informatibn, pleasure, education of their children, or other domestic arrangements 24 Historic selections continued. — Visit of Henry V. to South- ampton, as the rendezvous of his army in his second inva- sion of France — Anecdote respecting the curious mode of raising his troops — ^Character and execution of Thomas Nevil, at Southampton — Skirmish, near Southampton, be- tween the troops of the Dukes of Clarence and Warwick, and those of Earl Rivers, with the character of the last- mentioned nobleman — Visit of the Emperor Charles V. to Southampton — Leland's account of the houses of South- ampton in the time of Henry VIII. — Anecdote of Patch, the king's fool 3/ Hampshire Station continued. — Remarks made, in different parts of this county, in the autumn of 1799 — That autumn itself described — Excursion to Wickham — Subjects for the pencil — Sketch of Landscapes — Subjects for the heart — Mr. Gamier and family described — Hints for a second landscape — A third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, in the same direction, with their appropriate objects — Villa of the late Dr. Joseph Wharton — Remarks on that valuable man — Materials for a seventh landscape — Elegant poetical tribute to the memory of the late Dr. Wharton, by the Rev. Mr. Mant — The newly-erected monument to the Doctor — Its interesting history — Its inscription — The admirable exe^ cution of the sculptural part, by Flaxman — Monument of Captain Montague, by the same excellent artist, by order of parliament, in Westminster-Abbey 4S Hampshire Station continued. — Fareham to Titchfield — The ruins of Titchfield-Abbcy — Wickham, a central point for excursions to Portsmouth, Gosport, Southampton, Rumsey, CONTENTS. XXI Winchester, Wanford, Horndean, Ilavert, and Chiche^er, • with their distances from ^ch other — Scenery between Lyndhurst and Lymington — Broadlands — Its placid beau- ties without, and peculiar hospitalities within — Its dairy — Tribute to the late noble and ingenious proprietor, Lord Viscount Palmerston — Character and conduct of his noble relict, the present inhabitant — Account of Rumscy — Its church, and a selection of its beautiful epitaphs; with a promise to enter into a farther discussion on monumental inscriptions 7Q Hampshire Station continued. — The villages of Eling, Dibdin, and Eglehurst — Mr. Drummond's cottage — Caldshot-Cas-» tie and Lutterel's Folly, with a sketch of the surrounding scenery; with a view to the pleasures of excursion and the pencil — General observation upon Hampshire — Hints to painters — Materials for various landscapes — Fancy-work among the clouds 88 New Forest. — Tributary sketch to the late amiable Mr. Gilpin — His character, and account of his writings — The conso- lations of friendship — Immortal moments — The Gleaner maketh one of his characteristic leaps, over time and space, from the autumn of 1799 to that of ISO^ — A comparison between those seasons — The cause of this wonderful bound — Scenic sketches of an enraptured hand and gratified heart — Fresh materials of various landscapes, innumerable — > Forest rambles — Conduct and character of the forest pea- sants — Anecdotes of the same — Robberies without, and security within — Restorative qualities of the air — Apos- trophe to health — The distinction betwixt the , legitimate cottage and the fashion cottage — Wonders of the Ca- denham oak — The peasant and the philosopher's account of it 100 XXll / CONTENTS. New Forest continued. — The scenery of Woodlands — Down- ton Fair — The village of Brook — Its exquisite scenery — Nature in ail her magnificence — Fritham-Plain — The bar- ren and fertile contrasted — Crow's-Nest-Bottom — Stutley- Head — Rudbridge-Conimon — Morgan's Vale — ^A village, of which Simplicity seem? to have been the architect, and Content the inhabitant — The history of a woodman and his cottage — The Glestner exhoileth the liberal to visit it, and the incredulous to visit it also — He expecteth the acknow- ledgements of the former, for afTuiding them an opportunity pf doing a worthy action to the poor, the industrious, and the deserving 133 New Forest continued. — Observations on various sylvan neigh- bourhoods — History of the groaning-tree — Watc> mbe, with- in the park of Mr. Morant, once the residence of John Howard — Hampshire anecdotes of that philanthropist — His character vindicated 149 New Forest continued. — A gleaning of Brockenhurst and Boldre church-yards — Serious and ludicrous effusions — Hints from the dead to the living — Examples of honour- able servitude — The humours of the church-yard exhibited in a variety of ridiculous epitaphs — The practice strongly reprobated, as no less ignorant than impious and improper — The subject closed with a very beautiful inscription, by way pf model 157 New Forest continued. — Sketch of the antient and progressive history of the forest — Difteieiicc betwixt traditionary ac- counts and authentic history— Inquiry into the character of the Conqueror, as to his conduct in the New Forest — Ty- ranny of the original forest-law — Its atrocious pains and penalties, with examples — The ameliorations of these sau- CONTENTS. XXlll giiinary laws — The celebrated charta de foresta of King John — Forest-regulations as ihey at present exist — The exact definitions of privilege and prerogative, of subject and sovereign, examined and defined as they stand at present, with a view of the ground on which the pride and passion of an Englishman for his country is founded . . . . IJO porsetshire Station. — Bouveridge-Farm — Compromise betwixt the good and bad of travel — Autumnal skies — Bouveridge- farm — Surrounding prospects, taken from one of the Dor- set hills — Village of Cranbourne — Winborn St. Giles's — The seat of Lord Shaftesbury — Local and moral descrip- tions — Modes for benevolence — The gift of librrality to merit and mi-fortune — The happy poor — Faithful stew- ardship — Wisdom and virtue exhibited in a friendly society — A virtuously triumphant day for the heart — Apostrophe to man as a social object — An endearing and majestic being ■ — A singular character — Another yet more extraordinary — George Hill, the deor-keeper, and his dog Bouncer — The victory of the kitchen over the parlour — St. Giles's Church — Beautiful inscriptions from its monuments, in- cluding that of the third Earl of Shaftesbury, author of the Characteristics — History of the Hampshire trampers; a family, who have led an itinerant sylvan life for the last twenty-six years ; during which time they have never board- ed or bedvled in a house but once, and that by choice, having several houses of their own in the vicinity of their wood- land haunts, where they feed and repose, within groves, woods, or under hedges 187 Returned to the Hampshire Station. — Yisit of the King to Lyndhurst — Sketch of the forest upon that occasion — Va- rious examples of active virtue — Farqwel to the forest — Southampton Theatre .......... 221 XXIV CONTENTS, Winchester Station, — Abridged local description from Dr. Milner — Description for the affections — Prospects from St. Giles's Hill — Antient and modern views — Beautiful scenery and happy human faces — A fair and fairings — Verses on a distant view of the English convents of nuns, at Winchester — A gleaning of one of the nunneries — Lines sent with fairings to an antient couple — Primitive simpli- city in 1804 — Another reform wanted at the Post-Of- fice 227 Death and funeral of Gilpin — Description of the last moments of the righteous, with his epitaph 24/ Warwickshire Station. — General remarks on Birmingham — Inspection of the manufacturing poor — A striking contrast betwixt town and country, both with respect to animals and man — The retort courteous — The author's explanations of his own plan 251 The valuable communications of Mr. Morfitt, on the subject of Birmingham, in a series of interesting letters, wherein is discussed various important matters — Illustrations, by a former historian — The smoke-shops — Manners of the people — Local diversions — The theatre — Management and mixture of metals — Counterfeited gold, silver, and cop-- per — The riots of 1791 — Nature of the Birmingham mobs 262 Birmingham traversed by the Gleaner — Account of Job Nott and his little pamphlets — Their admirable use — Specimens of their matter and manner — A gleaning of the new church- yard — A view of the burial-grounds of Birmingham — Shameful indecencies practised in the church-yards — A CONTENTS* XXV beautiful charity — The artisan's breaking-up work — Popu* lation of Birmingham 285 Second communication of Mr. Morfitt respecting Birmingham — Artisans gardens and summer-houses — The hospital — > Dispensary — Blue-coat School — Club of Gratitude — Plan of an intended church — Sunday-5-chools, sick-clubs, gift- clubs, with excellent remarks interspersed relative to each 310 The Gleaner resumeth the pen — A circuit of the manufac- tories — A moral and philosophical survey of these . 325 Mr. Morfitt's third letter to the Gleaner, introduced by some beautful lines, appropriate to the subjects of his communi- cations — History of the several trades, and of the paitici^lar articles — The gun — The sword — The buckle — The but- ton, &c- Baskerville, Taylor, &c. manufactures, from Mr. Clay 329 Mr. Morfitt's fourth letter — Sketch of Mr. Boul ton's manu- factories — The wonders of Soho — The steam-engine — The coining-mill, &c. &c. — External and internal struc- ture of Soho — Its groves and gardens 358 The Gleaner's promised sketch of the moral, personal, and do- mestic state, of the artisans of Birmingham, collected from authentic documents — Causes of existing evila— Proposal of remedies . .' 371 Subject of this sketch continued, through all its varieties, in the way of hints, for a more deliberate and detailed exa- mination 402 XXVI Contents. Reports to the Gleaner from Manchester and other parts iri Lancashire — Likewise^ LiverpO(J and Sheffield, on the same subject, in sundry various communications .... 427 Return to the Warwickshire Station — Remarks on other cha- rities of Birmingham — School of Industry, under female inspection — Ilarborne Penny-club— ^Harborne Church and church-yard — Another lovely charity, of a singular charac- ter, in the neighbourhood of Birmingham -^Philosophical Society in that town -'—Digression, in p(int, for a descrip- tion of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. — See note at page 473 * 457 Continuation of the prison-scene — Transition from a place of confinement to one of devotion — The higher ranks, in va- rious instances, defended from the charge of laxity in their attendance upon public worship — Picture of domestic hap- piness, taken from the life — -An inquiry into the freedom of election, with the noble diversion of man-baiting — Poetic description of Warwick-Castle — Apology and defence of the author's habits of travels and reflection — Mental portrait- painting , , i 513 Sketch of a living curiosity in mind, manners, and fortunes, recommended as an example of industry^ ingenuity, patience, and perseverance — The charities of the metropolis — Inspi- ration of the theme — The Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of exposed and deserted young Children — The Asylum for the Reception of friendless and distressed Orphan Girls — The Royal Cuuibcrland Free-Mason School — Infant Asylum — The G!i)han Working School — The Magdalen Hospital — ^The Lock Asylum^- The Marine So- ciety — The Lock Hospital — The Middlesex Hospital — CONTENTS. XXVll St. George's Hospital — An Asylum for the Education and Support of the Deaf and Dumb Children of the Poor — The Philanthropic and Philological Societies — Humane So- ciety — The warmest tribute of the contributors and the Gleaner's heart poured forth in praise and homage of that Institution — Poetical illustrations, concluding with a su- blime prayer! 526 ERRATA FIRST VOLUME. Page 7, line 24, dele but. 11, — 4, dele the latter respect. 53, — 13, for the poetical laureat read ike laureaU 75, — 22, for Henry IV. read Edward IV. 158, — 18, for craddle read cradle. 209, — 17, for lords read lord. ^ 225, — 33, for allows read allow. 228, — 9, for the above-named hat left read the above-named hutorian has left. — — 261, — 23, for has read have. ^ 298, for Perhaps, from that very reason, they tee, what the latter rioters are, constantly, and wfiat looking upon, less than any other of their townS' men, read Perhaps, from that very reason, they see what the little rioters are doing, and what they themselves are constantly tooking Upon less than any other of the toivnsmen. 299, — 5, from bottom, for graze and evitable read eat, and rootle '■'■.- among the dead. SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. HAMPSHIRE STATION. \ VOL. I, B SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. ^*- JljUT, amidst all the foregoing explanations^ a few preliminary words, my beloved friend and antient correspondent,* belong exclusive- ly to yourself. You are apprized of my in- tention to publish the remainder of what I formerly sent, and what so long has been withheld. So far, therefore, as my farther ob- servations on England extend, you will thus only receive back your own property; to which I shall now beg your acceptance of some addenda, connected or detached. Yet, before we enter upon the more severe to- pics, let me recal your attention to subjects of a less stern and formidable aspect, tjiat * Baron deB*****, to whom the "Gleanings in England'', are addressed. 4 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEANINGS. we'may luxuriate awhile amidst fragrance and flowers. Escaping the clamour of cities, the din of trade, and the glare of fashion, let us shelter ourselves, as in a leafy asylum, in the shades of the country, and thence take a retro- spective or immediate view of some interesting spots in one of our most agreeable counties. Although it must be confessed, the sea-breeze comes to us, in Hampshire, somewhat obstruct edly, what is deficient in water is fully com pensated by earth and air; by its open plains, delightful downs, comfortable enclosures, and forests of almost unrivalled beauty. Come, then, my friend, let us return to scenes, which, five years past, renewed my health and renovated my spirits; the very de- scription of which, you told me, refreshed and invigorated yours. Should the reperusal happen at a pensive moment, it may assist the pleasure of that soft melancholy, which, within a cerrain bound, is, to your mind as well as miTip, amono^st the charais of life.^ If, on the contrary, as I hope may be the case, it meets you in a gayer hour, the review of pictures sketched amidst the beauties of nature will not diminish your happiness. Without farther ceremony, then, I shall now retreat with you to the place from whence I formerly addressed you ; and go back to the HAMPSHIRE STATIOIT. 5 time at which the reserved letters took their date. I shall present them in an unmutilated state, just as my heart suggested them to my hand; with all their stops and progressions, occasioned by various circumstances of leisure or haste, pain or pleasure, sickness or health* Southampton, Augusts, 1799. HAMPSHIRE is eminent for a diversity of the best good things that art and nature pror duce. Its boundaries are Dorsetshire and Wilt- shire on the west, Sussex and Surrey on the east; on the north its barrier is Berkshire, and a channel divides it from the enchanting Isle of Wight on the south. Thus, there is a peculiar fe- licity in its local situation, contributing not a little to its beauty. It is rich and abundant in picturesque cottages, magnificent mansions, and enviable villas, which enliven the prospect in every direction. Its elevations and descents, though unaspiring, are easy and engaging; and there is a general view of plenty and of comfort which ever way you turn, I have never D SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. sojourned in any county where I have found more gratification for the eye, or for the heart. The environs have fewer objects of poverty, wlie- therof men or things; less of barren in territory, and more Of whatever goes to the content of the traveller : although, it must be admitted, there is in many other counties a decided superiority as to grandeur, boldness, and sub- limity. df this fair county, the most agreeable town is certainly Southampton. There is an ::ir of vivacity and spirit about it, which, on the first arrival of a stranger, must impress him with cheerful sensations ; especially it he comes di- rectly from the solemn and, in some respects, sombrous scenery of Winchester, much of which is in the monastic and gothic style of beauty ; yet Southampton itself, in point of building, has neither the regularity, grandeur, or fashion of Bath, or, indeed, of various other popular resorts. But Southampton seems animating before the observer into an unceasing glow ot business and pleasure. E\ery object appears full of bustle, occupation, and life ; whereas, Bath, with all its elegant lounge on the one hand, and its delight- ful hurry on the other, appears to be looking about for something to do, yet looking in vain. No\y, although Southampton may be said tp HAMPSHIRE STATION, 7 consist of only a single street, any way distin- guishable from what may be seen in every other large town, that one may vie with the most sprightly and variegated that England has to display. The whole of it is in motion ; it kindles and warms before you, and every kind of object that can form an agreeable picture takes its turn in gay succession; or, what is still better, they blend together in pleasant ge- neral confusion, while each individual and par- ty seem to tread the maze without being invol- ved in a crowd. The fashionable visitors, pass- ing and repassing here, mix so well with the sea-faring people and the soldiery, the blue and the red coats ; and these, again, are so well re- lieved by other miscellaneous groupes, that Southampton has never either a dull or common appearance, but always exhibits something new or engaging. Hence, while mucb finer places, which, for fashion sake, enjoy greater favour, fatigue the traveller by too much glare, or satiate him by too little variety, and at length send him away, indisposed to a second visit : but I have never known any persons who did not speak with satisfaction of their tour to Southampton, and express a friendly wish to return. It is placed, Hkewise, so centrally, ^vith regard to the surrounding country, and more « SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. especially the Isle of Wight, that, for the pur- poses of health, good neighbourhood, and all the scenery appropriate to such welcome guests, no traveller who has crossed its water, tra- versed its land, felt its genial influence, and enjoyed its rides, Avalks, and amusements, will refuse to confirm the character of its being one of the most captivating spots in the empire.* * I am happy to find this opinion strengthened by an elegant httle tract, published since the date of my letter; and, as the author has obligingly permitted me to make what- ever use I may judge illnstiative of my subject, I avail myself of his indulgence with equal gratitude and pleasure. " The town of Southampton," gays Sir Henry Englefield, " is situated on the extreme point of the high gravelly bank which separates the course of the Itchen Tliver from the Estuary of the Test, or Anton Water. By this happy choice, the whole town, though almost surrounded with water, enjoys the advantage oS the driest situation ; and the fall of level, in every direction, keeps the streets conbtantly free from damp and filth. Besides these essential benefits, a great proportion of th« houses enjoys a view, more or less extensive, of the beau- tiful country adjacent; and, as the giiivelly soil lies on a bed of clay, numerous wells afford a copious supply of water fit for most domestic purposes, if not always excellent for drinking." Of the High Street, Avhich I have mentioned with so much praise, Sir Henry says, " the most careless observer must necessarily be struck with the beauty of the High, antiently called, English, Street, which, for bnadth, length, and clean- liness, can scarcely be equalled in England." The painter HAMPSHIRE STATIOX. 9 With its buildings, the population of South- ampton has also increased. Its present state, according to the returns made to. Parliament^ is, •l^o^>!.'!!)■fI*^r^ '^''' Houses . . . . . ■ 1582 Families . . . . . 187^ Males. . . . . "i'l ''^3390 Females ...... 4523 Total of persons 79 1 3 A Southampton friend, whom I shall shortly introduce more particularly to your best atten- tions, has just observed, upon this calcula- tion, " it is rather singular there should really be such an overplus of ladies ; but it serves, he says, " to account for our abundant stock of old maids, which, it appears, nothing can re- medy but a female emigration." * may perhaps lament, that* brick fronts have, in so many in- stances, succeeded to the picturesque timber gables, which not long ago constituted the principal part of the bouses ; but, it cannot be denied, that comfort has gained what picture may have lost. The gentle bend and gradual descent of the street likewise add much to its beauty, as a straight level line, of near half a mile, (which is the length of the High Street from the bar to the water-gate,) could not but be tirfesome to the eye. * Southampton has long been proverbial for its number of old maids. The proverb is still popular : whether true or ialse, it beseemeth not the Gleaner to say. 10 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. , The same correspondent, in a letter which now lies before me, remarks, "that the number of families which have inhabited the town two successive generations is so small, and the in- flux of strangers has been so frequent, that provincial peculiarities are very scarce ; but, in the dialect of the lower classes, the con- fusion of singular and plural, and the substi- tution of the masculine for the neuter and fe- minine genders, are sufficiently apparent." * The narrow frith, which separates Jersey from the continent, is quite wide enough to make the islanders abhor their neighbours, though so nearly allied to them by antient con- nexion and by language. Enjoying exemption from taxes, while they have the privilege of adhering to all their antient laws and customs, they know the value of British protection, and have no desire to change masters. They are, for the most part, industrious in getting mo- ney, and tenacious of it when gotten. A raw * This, however, is pretty genera^ in Hampshire. A pro- Tincial tendency to confound numbers and cases has been ex- emplified by the following curious epitaph : " Him shall never corae back to we. But us shall surely go to he," And by the proverb, that, in the dialect of such and SUck persons, ** every thing is a ^ except a torn cat" HAMPSHIRE STATIOSr. 11 r Jersey man, in his first visit to England, is, com- moiil}', a curious subject, in dress, manners, and lana^uaofc. In tlie latter respect, most of these Anglo- Normans whom I have observed, the abuse of jhe relative which (pronounced by tliem widge) is singularly observable. A Jersey man would say. We saw a sail, widge we thought she was a privateer, widge she made after us, widge we got our guns ready, widge ' we fired a broadside, widge she slieered off. Southampton is supplied with fish fromltchen village, which stands on a bank, rising rapidly from the river, and commanding charming prospects. The inhabitants are chiefly fisher- men, and their famihes the descendants of others who practised the same occupation be- fore them. The employment both of males and females lies so much in the open air, that they are equally a rough and hardy race. Tlie husbands, after having procured the fish, leave them to be recommended to purchasers by the oratory of their wives ; which is always loud, if not always pow(^rful: yet, if in blunt- ness and volubility, these ladies resemble their sisters of the metropolis, they certainly are not quite so violent in the use of certain oflfen- sive embellishments of speech. All settlers in their district, who are not natives, they consi- IS SUPPLEMENTARY GLEA'NIXGS. der as foreigners, and regard them with no favourable eye. I do not remember, says the gentleman who furnished these observations, that the Gleaner has ever noticed the fish- women ; yet they are a peculiar race, and have been so from the days of Hudibras, when " Oyster-women lock'd their fish up. And trudg'd away to cry no bishop." down to the era of the outrageous polssardes of republican Paris. These remarks on dialect are confirmed by another writer. *' The dialect of Hampshire," says Gilpin, " has a particular tendency to the corruption of pronouns, by confounding fheir cases. This corruption prevails through the county, but it seems to increase as we approach the sea. About the neighbourhood of New Fo- rest, this Doric hath attained its perfection. I have oftener than once met with the following tender elegiac distich in church-yards." He then instances the epitaph already quoted, " Him shall never come,*' &c. But of all provincial corruptions, the invete- rate omission or misapplication of the letter A, both in writing and speaking, is the greatest verbal curiosity. You will smile at the plea- HAMPSHIRE STATION. 13 fiantry, and be entertained by the point, of the following humorous petition of this, perhaps the most slighted letter of the alphabet, not only in H-ampshire but in many other of our English counties. I owe it to the same hand Av'hich supplied the foregoing remarks on pro- vinciahties. . 1 1 J .•.' I ' , ; Ji, J — •• To is Fri&itl/an'd Enemies, the umble Petition of discarded and misplaced II. Sheweth, - .--jo -^wo: That your petitioner ath, from time imme- morial, enjoyed the privelege of being prefix- ed to certain words, in which is priority was ighly necessary, for the sake of distinction 5 and to others, in which e ad, e utubly pre- sumes, as good a claim to is situation as any other letter in the alphabet. But that conti- nual encroachments ave been made on is just rights, so that e is, in many cases, obliged to stand mute, though is presence is not abso- lutely disallowed. But as e finds, from the di- alect of many, that e is likely to be struck dumb for ever, if e does not make a timely re- monstrance, e therefore ventures to expostu- late with is enemies, on their uncandid he- aviour to im : and that e may not seem charge- able with any thing unreasonable in this is re- 14 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANIK^GS. monstrance, e umhly ventures to propose that, since some are so much is foes as not to suffer im to go about is lawful business, while others discover their partiality to m, by forcing im into situations to which t as no right, an ac- commodation shall enceforth take place be- tween them; and the posts e as occupied against is will, shall be given up for the re- possession of those of which e is the lawful owner: so that, in future, no lady or gentle- man shall " ope it wont be o^," or tell of their " aving eard bad news ; or '' ride on orse- back;" or call anyone a '' or rid creature;" or assure a friend " ow much they ave is suc- cess at art;'' or desire the servant to " put the eater into the urn;" or dine upon " at^e or ashes:'' nor, on the other hand, shall be guilty of " heating hices;" or of repeating what took place the '' hother day; " or han;tf thing hdse that looks like hqffectation. "To the Gleaner's former delineations of na- tional character," continues my friend, " might be added the following articles to his list of the superstitions of the lower classes : namely, the knotted garters; the ceremony of the dumb cakes; the sowing of hemp-seed round a church; the gathering of yarrow from a HAMPSHIRE STATION. 15 young man's grave, on a midsummer night; the rose gathered at that season, and worn at Christmas; the graphic snail, the predictive shps of the plant Livelong; the letters of the alphabet inclosed in separate balls of clay, then immersed in water, till the prophetic initials of the future spouse float in the morning. There is also the turning of money in the pocket, at first sight of a new moon ; spitting on the first money received for any thing on sale; likewise on a mile-stone, at the outset of a journey, to ensure a prosperous event; and the confidence in charms is almost unbounded. An old personage, of Southampton, is much resorted to, and has been for many years, as endowed with the mysterious, yet successful faculty of charming away burns and sores; and the credit attached to fortune-tellers is well-known. Accept a living instance. Old Pine, of Portsmouth, is in high repute as a cun- ning man, through the whole county of Hants. I heard lately of a poor woman of this town, who, on account of her husband's having ab- sconded, receives parochial relief; from which fund she sent half-a-crown to Old Pine, to get intelligence. The conjurer promised her tru- ant should return in a week. He did not re- turn; yet the infatuated creature pawned a garment to get another half-crown, in order lO SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. to make farther inquiry of the conjurer. 1 cannot forbear giving you the subsequent fact, in addition to what I before sent you, con- cerning the high estimation of Moore, the al- manack-maker, whose interpreters are so won- derfully candid, that, by some means or other, they always contrive to make to him a true prophet. A country man, who bought the al- manack at Mr. Baker's Library, of this place, used to metamorphose the " Vox Stellarum'^ on the titles, into " Fox's Starlington." But the most «:enuine trait of unlettered simplicity I ever met with is exemplified in a person yet living, and of whose manners and character a true, and I trust interesting, sketch has been given in a former division of our correspondence — I mean my honest old friend, the St. Ives Sexton; for particu- lars of Avhom I must refer you to what Avas said of the church and church-yard of that town.* In answer to some inquiries respecting this veteran in office, I received the following anec- dote, in a letter from the present worthy rec- tor of the above-mentioned place : " I thank you for your remembrance of * Vol. ii. of Gleanings in England, HAMPSHIRE STATION. TT Old George ; be assured he shall not, nor has not, been forgotten ; and now I am upon his subject, I cannot help mentionmg a ludicrous occurrence, that took place soon after I came into possession of this living. Upon my arri- val at St. Ives, I found a letter from the He- ralds Office, desiring me to transmit an ac- count of the family of Laxvrence, from the year 1561. After I had gone on for some time in the inquiry, it occurred to me that Old George might give me some information. I ac- cordingly sent for him. " Pray George can you tell me whether there is any monument in our church that mentions any thing concerning the family of Lawrence ? " *' No, master, but 1 buried Sir Edward; he lies in a leaden coffin, under 'Squire White's pew/' — "Any thing else? " " Yes, there is his coat of arms in the church; a cross to shew he was a Lawrence, and a bloody hand to shew he was a baronet." — " Any thing more? " " Yes, master, there is something at the bottom that says he was ati admiral of the Nile\ ! !" — *' Give me the keys." I hastened to the church; where I discovered, at the foot of the achievement, the motto " Nil admirari'' The church-yard of each town and village is, almost without an exception, the resort of all descriptions of travellers, except those VOL. I. c t% SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANTNGS. of the post haste character. The idler looks on it as his best lounging-place, while his repast is making ready ; and the man of thought finds it a never-failing source of not unpleasing, though pensive contemplation. Yet how has custom disarmed, of their pious awe, the sights, the ceremonials, the repositories, and even the impressions of death T I am just returned from inspecting St. Mary's.* The church door was open, and some workmen were en- graving the following moral, by M^ay of mot-' to, over the porch: ^'Redeeming the timeJ" But one of the men proved a bad commen-^ tary on the text. Astride the roof of the porch, he sat singing a most unscriptural, though not irreverent, love- ditty ; and as he soon after supplied a second labourer on a * This church is in the gift of the Bishop of Winchester, and is at present held by his lordship's son. The living is esti- mated at about 1400/. a year. The present church was built in 1711, by the Rev. Archdedcon Bridecake, at that time mi- nister of the parish, assisted by the contributions of several friends. Before that time, the old church had long lam ia ruins, and public worship was confined to the remaining chancel. While this building was in contemplation, the ad- joining parsonage was burned down; Mr. Brideoake rebuilt It; and it is rather singular, that in 1801 his building under- went the same fate: suddenly taking fire, on a Sunday afteiv noon, . it was coasumed in a fe\v hours. HAMPSHIRE STATIOJf. 19 ladder with mortar, a boy, with a large jug of ale, came from an adjacent public house, running over innumerable graves, (St. Mary's church-yard is dreadfully overloaded with its dead,) and hterally " whistled as he went for want of thought. ' He sat himself down on a tomb- stone, near the church -door, then ex- claimed, " I've got the first draw of a full tap, and if you don't make haste, you may perhaps be too late." " Touch a drop before me," said the master, *' and I will throw this tile at your head, and kill you as dead g.s the man or woman whose tomb * you are now sitting upon, you little vagabond. Bring the noggin up this moment." The boy, obeying the word of com- mand, leaped from the tomb, ascended the ladder, • J)assed the man on the roof of the porch, and was almost on the ridge of the church when he delivered the object in dispute. The mason turned hitnself round, and drank deep of the can, as he rested on the ladder. The boy was sitting a few steps beneath, and was ordered to hand the liquor to the assistant on the roof of the porch ; after which the master-man took another draught, observing "second thoughts were best ; " then gave the • I II ' # • * A flat stone, without any inscription, near the fir^t tree of the avenue almost facing the porch. 20 suppiementahy gleanings. nearly emptied machine to the boy, telling him " to take home the noggin, and make haste back ; for, look how near the dial points to one, and we have another job of work yet." The shadow indicated the hour he mentioned, «4id, on looking, at the dial, I read these words: " The time is at hand [ " ' Taking the central path immediately leading from hence, I observed a soldier straddling across one of the grave-stones, while a woman was sitting upon the grave to which it belong- ed; both of them helping to pack, in a better manner, a basket that contained what they had bought at the market. 'On the stone was marked, as usual, something " To teach the rustic moralist to die^" It began, " Weep not for me^'* And told, moreover, that the party died young. The soldier and the female, who was probably his wife, were both in their youth also. The narrowness of the grave was incommodious to their purpose, so they shifted to a broad tomb- stone * on the other side of the pathAvay ; and * From this point, Sir Henry Englefield observes, very truly, tiliat a caussey of near half a mile long, plauted with trees. HAMPSHIRE STATION. SI tliere, resuming the business of packing, fi- nislicd their work, and trudged away towards the ferry; not, however, before both of them liad taken from their basket a part of the con- tents, and, spreading it on the tomb, made, though hastily, as hearty and vacant a meal as if they had been surrounded by the living in lieu of the dead I walked pensively on to the edge of the Itchen-ferry. The softly rising and sun- gilt landscape on the opposite shore; the now re- turning, now retreating waves, as if sportively chasing each other, and wafting to land a fresh reinforcement of healtfe-winged zephyrs ; the small craft sliding along; sailing in com- pany, or crossing each other in different direc- leads to the platform and south gate. This walk, which is called the Beach, commands in its whole length a view of the Southampton water, closed by the Isle of Wight ; and it is not easy to imagine a more beautiful or interesting water-scene. The prospect of the town is also pretty, and the new church of All Saints appears from hence to great advantage. It is to be lamented, that the marshy meadow close to the caussey is not made a pause at the neat, airy, genteel, well- bred, little town of Wickam. Nature, in- deed, exhausted with weeping, appeared dispo- sed to atone for the past, and to restore her drooping powers. Her most radiant orb shone, as if to dry up her tears, which, with ' more than the passion of Niobe, had fallen upon, and almost deluged, the earth. It was on this fair morn, that the Gleaner went forth with some friends, as if to do homage in the temple * " The Cyathia of tUe minute." POPE. 48 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEANINGS. of the sun, whose gorgeous palace opened hiS glories at a thousand portals ; each beaming with the hght, the majesty, and the benevolence of heaven. A picturesque church-yard, and awalk beyond it to the woods, by the side of a quickset, engaged our first attention. To the left, over a stile, is a brook trickling at its foot, the sound contrasted by the deeper notes of a water-mill below. Open- ing to the next meadow, as you quit sight of the rill, the sound of which is yet heard, are objects for more than one landscape, both to the right and left. A painter would probably take into his first picture part of the town — the mill-foam, from between a row of poplars, seen as a water- fall — Mr. Garnier's seat — woods — and the beautiful vicarage — all worthy of, and, indeed, commanding the pencil of genius. Passing another stile, in the same direction, where the brook which begun at the former gate is now continued by a more abundant gush — joining rather in rivalry than in echo the bolder note of the mill-AV'ater — a row of stately trees form a vernal canopy the whole length of the field. The river, at the bottom of a glen to the left, (from which rise some ve- nerable oaks to assist the canopy,) flows more placidly along. To the right, you have the villa-looking farm, grounds, and a summer- house, belonging to Mr. Gamier, which, shut- HAMPSUTRE STATION". 49 ting out the scenery of the field behind, might form another picture no less deserving the pain- ter's notice. The objects of the landscape, to be taken from this field, are carried and con- fined to the foliage that bounds the horizon. At the extremity of the field, the souiid of th« rivulet is again renewed, and, if possible, with more dulcet intonations. From an ivy- clasped oak, you have yet another peep at the more silent and deep stream above-men- tioned, the hquid melody varying at every step. The many-coloured walk continues with rich supplies of sunshine and of shade, and a sufficient intermixture of living figures; of ani^ mals at repose or feed, groups of boys and girls laden with fagots from the adjacent forest^ labourers at work, &c. &c. to the confines of the forest. At the extremity of the fourth field, in a straight iine, similar foliage still em- bowers you, and your ear again welcomes its harmonious neighbour. The fifth stile con- ilucts to the sixth, by a path between fallow land, which is a rehef to the excess of veri' dure: this is fenced on each sideby autumnal scenery, which throws the artist and art itself into despair, being literally beyond the reach of imitation. This sixth stile conducts you into the forest, where, for many a mile along the leafy labyrinths, the philosopher may think, VOL. I. E 50 SUPPLEMENTARY GJLEANIXGS. the lover sigh, and the muse, if the gods have made him poetical, help him to a song addressed to the lady of his verse or of his heart. If, instead of passing the fourth stile, you pursue the semicircular walk, which con^ ducts, by a gentle ascent, to a white swinging gate, you are accommodated with yet another landscape of great richness and variety. It may either be taken from the step of the gate, which furnishes you with a seat, or from an adjacent moss-embraced oak, that, with the connected hedge on one side, and an opening of the forest on the other, forms a back-ground. The front view is so extensive, and so full of . object, one is fearful of giving the prefer- ence to some, lest we should injure the great pain- ter — Nature — by seeming to neglect the rest. The spacious field before you descends by a gentle declivity to softly irregular and tender foliage, made by the rows of trees which, a few minutes before, constructed your arbouring walk. From thence, by a proportionate ascent, you are conveyed over enclosures to deeper vegetation, which forms the boundary : your eye is attracted, however, in its way, by innumerable objects, — the tinkling of the team-bell,— the herds at their social repast, — part of the town rising, as it were, from the bosom of the wood, — the. smoke from the chimneys wreathing both HAMPSHIRE STATJOX. 51-. iteelf and the contiguous scenery in blue columns, that imitate the colour of the pure cerulean above, and look, indeed, as if aspiring to mix with it It is impossible to gather half the delightful intermediate subjects^ betwixt the observatory^ oak and a majestic fir which limits your horizon, and which, in superiour majesty, ap- pears to govern the scene. The soft shadow- ings, likewise, now flying and now fixt, will constitute not the slightest beauty fox the pain- ter, to the selection of whose living eye and ani- mated genius I must, now, resign it. 'Quitting this point, and leaving your seat of observation — the stile — then passing through the gate attached to it, several engaging paths open to yoiir election : the one to youx left, leads you through the forest-land to the pretty village of HambletojQ, a wood-walk of six miles, in which you are offered the alternate beauties of distant prospect and close recess, of dazzling sun and impervious shade- The gate parallel to that you quit conducts you farther into the grounds of Mr. Gamier, and gives you, in airy prospect, the engaging diversities beyond them, while the road between the gates presents to you a bridle or foot way, which circuitously will bring you round by Mr. Garnier's house, into the beautiful quickset formerly noticed. 52 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. Your foot, however, will be commanded, by a power superiour to itself, to make a stop be- fore you enter those precincts: first, to the gateman, who, though neither so feeble nor so crowned With interesting anecdote as my poor Anthony Flower, of Rudham,* is not without claims that will give his silver and redundant hair, florid complexion, still brilliant eye, un- clouded coiintenance, and unfailing step, a place in your memory, should he live to open his gate and offer his Courtesies to you. A passing visit to this veteran will be enrich- ed by the grateful account you, will hear of the goodness of the Garnier famity; with the health, well-doing, and olive-branching num- ber of his own household : and, before he has finished the little history of himself and neigh- bours, you 'will be disposed to bless the small blue watch-box in which he sits; and leave him a something to make the remembrance mutual. Your second pause will be at the view of the house of the Garhiers, so kindly described by the veteran, and, indeed, by every other person of whom you may be disposed to make inquiry. " A whole house-full of good and generous drieatures, Sir," quoth mine hostess of the n * ' ' , u * Vol. i, " Gleanings in England," HAMPSHIRE STATIOJf. 53 King's Head, " so kiad-hearted, so charitable, every one of them, and so neighbourly. O, Sir, no body can tell you the good they do." The third stop, if you return by the beau- tiful road, will be at the parsonage ; and, while I mention this, I cannot but breathe a» hope, that your prospect of it may be accom- panied by more auspicious circumstances. Ours was, indeed, *' a pause prophetic of the end," I fear, of one of our most valuable and ingenious men, — Dr. Joseph Warton, late master of Winchester-School, and brother tq the poetical laureat, one of our poetical pro- fessors. The doctor, at the moment we were surveying his house, was languishing in ^ sickness, that every lover of genius and vir* tue feared w^ould be fatal, and which he had alread}^ born for many agonizing weeks, Avith Christian meekness and fortitude. I can* not well describe to you the state of mind, under the influence of which I looked up to the windows that, ». servant had informed me, belonged to the sufferers apartment. One of the shutters was closed, and, at the other, I beheld a female, who appeared to be folding her hands in supplication. The whole party entered into, and partook of these sen- sations, which were increased and softened by some external circumstances, particular- S4 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAlfl'NGS. ly welcome at such a time. We were pkased that a deep and heavy clouding had passe(f over the face of that effulgent orb which had so emblazoned the former parts of our walk. The wind, too, gave man-y and deep sighs, in- the respondent sea-green firs that encircled the dweUing ; the droop of the willows was more than usually acceptable ; and the sadly-sweet note of a robin, that sat singing on a waving branch of sycamore, more than ever endeared the pensive and brief air of that domestic mu- sician. The abundant hedges of appropriate laurel, wore, methought, to Fancy's eye, the most sombrous aspect. How soothing are these imaginations ! The apothecary came forward^ to pay his morning visit; in the midst of tbeniy a;nd they soon yielded to yet more inter- esting realities. He infoimed us, he had hopes of the recovery of his patient ; " which,** added he, " will give joy to every one who has the honour of his acquaintance; for a more w^orthy man than Br. Warton,* or a mofc * Prebendary of Winton, and, during thirty-six years successively, under and upper master of Winchester-College. His publications are few. A small collection of poems, without a name, was first sent forth, and Contained the " Ode to Fancy," which has been so much and so deservedly , HAMPSHIRE STATION". 56 amiable lady than his wife, who is herself in- disposed, is not to be found in Hampshire. This intelligence enabled us to advert again admired. They were afterwards all printed in Dodsley's Col- lection. He was also a considerable contributor to the " Adventu- rer," published by Dr. Hawkesworth; and all the papers which contain criticisms on Shakespeare were written by him and his brother, Dr. Thomas Warton. The first volume of his " Essay on the Life and Writings of Pope" has passed through several editions : an interval of between twenty and thirty years had elapsed, before he gave a second volume of that elegant and instructive work to the world. He had not only meditated, but had collected, materials for a literary his- tory of the age of Leo X. and proposals were actually in cir- culation for a work of that kind ; but it is possible, that the duties of his station did not leave him the necessary leisure for an undertaking which required years of seclusion and in- dependence. The last work which he undertook, at a very advanced age, was an edition of Pope's works. — The doctor was cheerful in his temper, convivial in his disposition; of an elegant taste and lively imagination, with a large portion of erudition, and a very general knowledge of the belles lettres of Europe. He was not only admired for his talents and his knowledge, but was beloved for those more valuable qualities, which ar« the best gifts of this imperfect state* And here justice calls upon me to pay a tribute of well- merited praise to the little volume called " A Companion in a Tour round Southampton," from which the above extract is taken. I will houestly own, that having previously read, 56 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. to the cheerful objects, which, in retumlng^ to the inn, by the road, presented us with in a satisfactory manner, the " Southampton Guides," pub- lished by Skelton and Baker, containing every thing necessary to be known by a casual traveller, I turned over the leaves of this '* Companion," with no great hope of more extensive in- formation. The perusal, however, of a few pages, convinced me that it was not the production of one of those writers, who are employed i« putting together the common and coarse materials of a traveller's Vade Mecum, or walking-book, to be read while the chop or cutlets are preparing, or the tea strengthening in- the pot; then thrown amongst other trivial luggage^ into the gig, post-chaise^ or phaeton j lastly, to be laid upon the shelf, as having answered its purpose, and then be thought of no more.* It is a work of permanent utility; and, in order to give an interest to my own sketches, shall re- fer to it, with grateful pleasure, as occasion may require. * " I should do violence to my own feelings," says Sir Henry Englefield, *' if I passed unnoticed the assistance which I have received from an anony- mous correspondent, whose singular modesty has not, perhaps, totally concealed him from ray knowledge : and, to whose accurate pen, the inves- ligators of the beautiful environs of the town of Southampton are, I sus- pect, already obliged for one of the best digested and most instructive of those useful tracts, commonly known under the name of Guides," But the Gleaners obligations to tihe author thus recommended are more extensive : having been favoured \vith some original communications, whicb shall appear in their time and place; and of which, indeed, examples and specimens have so recently appeared, under the title of Hampsliire pro- yincialities and historic anecdotes relating to Southampton. What are yet to come will have the additional interest of some personal circuctstacces, which will not only gratify curiosity, and demonstrate talent, but en!ure feip«ct. See the original poetic contributions, vol. iii. HAMPSHIRE STATION-. S7 another soft picture of autumnal nature, in- cluding the hridge, mill-pool, part of the town, the villas, cottages, and vegetation, amidst or beyond them, — with many a figure, interesting by its motion and life ; — such as the scarlet- cloaked maid or matron, with her clean basket of marketings ; the neighbouring farmers, returning in social trot, setthng their own affairs, their neighbours, or those of the nation, as they jog on: and though the clouds continued to obscure the sun-beam, and none of these objects were gilt as heretofore, the reflection of good Beings, released, in some measure, from their sufferance, conveyed, to the mind's eye, those rays of affection which surpass the brightest glow of the orient or the setting beam. Since the above was written, the estimable Dr. Warton, as the foregoing note signifies, has left the world, which he contributed to improve. I had seen, at Oxford, Mr. Mant's elegant and feeling tribute to his memory; and remember being struck, while reading it, with the idea of adding a quotation from it to my former Wickham excursion. On revi- 58 ' SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. ~ sing the pages appropriate to that place, the same idea recurred; and I addressed the au- thor for permission. He has so Uberally grant- ed my request, by assigning a part, or the whole, to my wishes, that I shall avail myself of his kindness to the utmost extent, as well from the merit of the composition, as to offer a testimony of the Gleaners respect to the Subject HAMPSHIRE STATION". 5g VERSES* TO THE MEMORY OF JOSEPH WARTON, D. D. tATE HEAD MASTER OF WINCHESTER-COLLEGE. BY RICHARD MANT, A. B. fELLOW OF ORIEI.-COLLEGE, OXFOR-D. TIS sweet, when freshly breathes the vernal morn. To hear the solemn rock, that clam'rous wheels Round some elm-chcled mansion ; sweet to lie Beneath the canopy of spreading groves. When ceaseless hums the summer air ; or rove At evening still, when the lone nightingale Sings wakeful her thick-warbled song ; 'tis sweet To catch by fits the melancholy sound. While through the ruins of th' autumnal wood Sighs the sad gale, or the loud wintery wind Blows hollow o'er the bleak and blasted heath ; — But sweeter still the meek and plaintive tones Of heav'nly poetry, which lulls the heart With grateful sorrow mild ; which speaks of worth * Some notes are added to illustrate the poem. Co SUPPLEMENTATIY GLEAXIKGS- Departed, speaks of those whom never more Our eyes shall view, our arms shall clasp ; then tells la louder strains of the eternal rest. The blissftjl mansions of unfading heaven. And such delightful pleasure, innocent. Delightful to the sense, and to the mind Minist'ring calm and holy pensiveness. Who shall forbid to seize ? Who shall forbid. If I, unus'd to woo th' Aonian choir. And all unskilful, yet aspue to seek Their hallow'd temple ; and with pious zeal And grateful duty weave an humble crown, " To deck the laureate herse where Warton lies?"* O tow'rs of Venta, and thou gentle stream, Itchin, ye bending vales, and breezy downs, . You best his praise can witness ; — oft he climb'd In morn of life your fir-crown'd hill, and roam'd Your osier'd meads, and pac'd your cloisters dim ; You to meridian fame beheld him rise Circled with Wykeham's sons ; and you beheld How Wykeham's grateful sons i* the tribute paid Of filial love, and cheer'd his closing day. For well was Warton lov'd, and well deserv'd ! • To stre\¥ the laureate herse, where Lycid lies. MILTOi^'s LYCIDAS. t The ingenious author asserts, that there never was a man in his situation more universally beloved than the last Head-Master of Winchester. In addition to that general tribute of gratitude paid him at all times, il»e parti- cul»r testimony which he received from the Scholars of the College, at the time of his quitting them in 1793, cannot but be considered as highly honourable to him and them. It was a testimony, which no doubt was the *ource of gratification to him till the day of his death. HAMPSHIRE STATION. 61 Whether he led the fault'ring step of youth To offer incense at the Muse's shrine ; Or, justly stern, check'd with forbidding frown Impetuous vice ; or with approving smile Cherish'd the hope of virtue's modest bud ; Strong to convince, and gentle to persuade, *' His tongue dropt tnanria," * and his ardent eye Sparkled with temper'd rage, or beam'd withjoj Boundless: nor wonder; for within his heart Dwelt pure affection, and the liberal glow Of charity ; join'd to each tiative grace. Which the sweet Muse imparts to those she loves. His was the tear of pity, soft as show'rs That fall on April meadows ; his the rapt Impassion'd thought, quick as the lightning's glance. And warm as summer suns : and every flow'r Of Poesy,-!* which by the laurell'd spring. Of Aganippe, or that Roman stream Tiber, or Tuscan Amo, breath'd of old Its fragrance sweet ; and ev'ry flow'r, which since Hath dmnk the dew beside the banks of Thames, Met in his genial breast, and Ijlossom'd there. Happy old man ! J for therefore didst thou seek Extatic vision by the haunted stream * Paradise Lost, book 2. t Warton migbt have described bis own mingled fondness for the Greek, Latin, and Italian poets, in the words which he has quoted from Milton. Nee me tarn ipsx Athentz AtticcE cum illo suo pellucido llisso, nee ilia vetus Ro- ma tiia Tiberis ripa retinere vcduenmt, quin sepe Amum testrum et Fieiulaaot iUos coUes invUere amcm. — Essa j on Pope, i. 265. $ Fortunate senex. Vir^. E. 1. 62 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. Or grove of fairy : * then thy nightly ear (As from the wild notes of some airy harp) Thrill'd with strange music ; if the tragic plaints And sounding lyre of those Athenians old. Rich-minded poets, fathers of the stage, Rous'd thee enraptur'd ; or the pastoral reed OfMantuan Tityrus charm'd; or Dante fierce. Or more majestic Homer swell'd thy soul. Or Milton's muse of fire. Nor seldom came Wild fancy's priests, with masked pageantry. And harpings more than mortal : f he, whose praise Is heard by Mulla ; and that untaught baid Of Avon, child of nature ; nor less lov'd. * Each evening - • lay me by the haunted stream Rapt in some wild poetic dream. In converse while racthinks I rove With Spencer through a fairy grove ; Till suddenly awak'd I hear Strange wbisper'd music in my ear. And my glad soul in bliss is drown'd By the sweetly-soothing sound. DR. WAKTOn's ode to FANCY. Who would not sing for Lycidas ? He knew Himself to sing and build the lofty rhime. Warton's enthusiastic admiration of th& poets specified above is well known ; and the mention of them in this place is not foreign from the purpose, as they are not only the subjects of those elegant critical papers, with which he enriched the Adventurer, but are frequently brought forward by him, with all the warmth of an ardent lover, in his Essay on Pope. t This is no mortal business, nor no sound That the earth owes. HAMPSHIRE STATION. 63 Though later, he, who rais'd with mystic hand The fancy-hoUow'd pile of chivahy, Throng'd with bold knights ; while Chaucer srnil'd to see From his rich mine of English, undefil'd. Though all by time obscured,* a gorgeous dome On marble pillars reared, and golden valves Majestic, fashion'd by his genuine son. And O ! hadst thou to our fond vows appear'd Assistant, whilst unrivall'd Dry den sang Ammon's high pomp, and Sigismonda's tears For lost Guiscardo; how on coal-black steed " The horse-man ghost came thund'ring for his prey;** Or how amid the waste of nature stood Thy temple, God of Slaughter ! — O ! hadst thou With kindred flame, and such a flame was thine, Cali'd up that elder bard, who left half-sung * Chaucer is obscure to those persons only who neglect him ; the diffi- culty, which attends the first reading of him, soon vanishes ; and surely thfe conquest must be worth the trouble, when we consider the advantages to be derived from it. Whoever can be satisfied with masculine and simple poetry; whoever can be amused with humour, too often through the nature of the times in which he wrote alloyed with ribaldry, but frequently pure and sterling; whoever thinks it desirable to become acquainted with the .man- ners of his ancestors, and (I may add) to gain a more distinct view of his own language, will be amply rewarded by the repeated perusal of Chaucer. — I consider his Knightes Tale, which Dryden has so nobly modernised, as the poem of Chivalry : the names, indeed, are clasical ; but the images, the sentiments, the characters, the very action of the poem itself, are all wild, ^nd fanciful, and chivalrous. But all this is fully illustrated, and power- fully confirmed by a writer, who has devoted much time and talent, and no less zeal to this our first poetic parent. Mr. Godwin has afforded " ample jroom and verge enough " to this great poet, who is certainly entitU;d ty (be best atteatipns of his historian. 64 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXG?. The wondrous tale of Tartar Cambuscan ; * So had the muse a brighter chaplet twin'd To grace thy brow; nor tuneful Dryden hung A statelier trophy on the shrine of fame. Happy old man ! Yet not in vain to thee Was Fancy's wand committed : not in vain Pid Science fill thee with her sacred lore: — But ii of fair and lovely aught, if aught Of good and virtuous in her hallow'd walls. Through the long space of thrice twelve glorious years. Thy Venta nurtur'd ; if transplanted thence To the fair banks of Isis and of Cam, It brighter shone; and haply thence again. Thence haply spread its influence through the land. That be thi/ praise. Be it thy praise, that thou Didst bathe the youthful lip in the fresh spring, *' The pure well-head of Poesy," didst point. Like thine own lov'd Longinus,-}* to the steep Parnassian crag, and led'st thyself the ;way ; — Be it thy praise, that thou didst clear the path. Which leads to Virtue's fane ; not her of stern And Stoic aspect dark, till Virtue wears The gloom of Vice ; but such as warms the heart • Mr, Mant says, I have taken the liberty of adopting tins pronuncia- tion, notwithstanding Milton's authority to the contrary. The word as it frequently occurs in the Squieres Tale, is necessarily and uniformly Cam- buscan : e. g. Tliis noble king, this Tartre Cambuscan. (C. T. 10.143.) Milton was, in all probability, not aware of the title of JChan of Tartary. t Wharton was remarkably partial to Longinus's treatise on the Sublime, 8nd in his choice of that interesting writer he seems to have been directed by a congeniality of seutimeut. He was, indeed, the critic of taste aud feeling. . • HAMPSHIRE STATION^. To acts of love, and peace, and gentleness, And tcnd'rest charity ; such as around Thy earthly passage shed her cheerful light, And such as Wykeham best might love to view. So thine allotted station didst thou fill. And now art passed to thy peaceful grave, \n age and honours ripe. Then not for thee Pour we the tear of sorrow; not with strains Like those despondent, which the Doric bard * Wept for his Bion, do we tend on thee : For other hopes are ours, and other views. Brighter and happier scenes ! No earthly chains Shall in this dreary prison-house confine Spirits of light ; nor shall the heav'n-born mind • Mr. Mant alludes to a part of Moschus's Elegy on Bion, which he transcribes. Any one, who may have happened not io have read it, will thank him for introducing him to one of thfe most beautiful and pathetic poems of antiquity ; and those who have read it, can never think the repem- sal of it to be tedious. A(, ai, fai /xaXa%a( fttit evatv nxrce, y.a,Tro> oXurrxh H Tcc ^Xupae. at>iif», To t tv^xXst; »Ao» »rri^o», trtfOV CIV ^UOUTi, XOli ««{ ETOJ «^^0 ^f/OfT*. OwTOTs tirfura, Sscw/aej, uya.>iooi n j^Sovj xetAix EiMp^j tv ^xXtx. lAOcy.fo*, aT«p//.o>«, tr,ypsTOi> virvot. Ka» cv fJiit !> o'»7« iriirvKaa-f/Liwi ktvuh tr y». x- t X. He then mentions a resemblance between these verses and some lines in Dr. Beattie's '' Hermit : " it appears more striking from the consideration^ that the earliest copies of that poem contained only the fitst four stanzas. And the two concluding staneas seem to have been added by the elegant and amiable author, or (as has been stated) by Johnson, with ft view of cotr«Ct- ing the false sei^t^ment conveyed in the preceding. . . , VOL. I. I • 6S SUPPLEMENTARY GXEAXrNGS. Oblivious linger in the silent cave Of endless hopeless sleep. But as the Sun, Who drove his ilerce and fiery-tressed steeds? Glorious along the vault of heav'n, at lengtU Sinks in the bosom of the western wave ; Anon from forth the chambers of the east To run his giant course ; so didst thou set. So mayst thou rise to glory ! But the high And secret counsels of th' Eternal Name W ho may presume to scan ! Enough for me That thus with pious zeal I pour the verse Of love to Warton, from that seat which nurst His youth in classic lore. Here blest with all. That social worth can yield, and minds refin'd By Attic taste, and gentlest manners bland. My duteous homage chief to thee I pay, G dome of Edward! nor meanwhile forget The earlier hopes that charm'd, the earlier friend^f That still, entwin'd around my heart, endear My hours of childhood; whilst I sojourn'd blitlie In those lov'd waUs, which Wykeham nobly plann'cl And Warton, favourite of the Muses, grac'd. Tlie ingenious author tells us, m an Adver- tisement, he is far from desirous of being con- sidered as a candidate for public applause ; and that his ambition will be amply gratified, if a jjortipn of that respect and aifection, which ani- mated him to the above- composition, shall b^ HAMI'SIIIRE STATION. 67 excited by the perusal in any pupil of Dr. War- ton, into whose hands the following lines may happen to fall. It is presumed that it will be readily admit- ted, Mr. Mant has accomplished both these points at the same time. Amongst the Original Poetical Contributions* will be found a second tribute to the memory of Dr. Warton, by the amiable and ingenious bard who succeeded to the laurel. It is by a singular coincidence, that, making", my second excursion into Hampshire, five years after my first, I repass Winchester just in time to notice the interesting monumenta^ tribute that has been paid to the memory of Dr. Warton, by some of the most illustrious and worthy of those whose heads and hearts he contributed to model and adorn. The monument is of the best statuary mar- ble, six feet three wide at bottom, about four feet at top, and twelve high. The doctor ap- pears to be seated in his chair, lecturing four of his pupils. These are exquisitely chiselled, both as to external figure, and, if I may be ' . i ■ ■ ■ ■■ t ■■ « . * Vol. iii. " Harvest Heme.'* F 2 68 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXINGS, allowed the words, mental delineation. There is a great deal of mind, and of its most earnest attentions, thrown into the features and countenance of the scholars; aiid no less power of thought, and zeal of instwiction, into ihosie of the master. The drapery of the doctor's gown, for he is in his clerical dress, exFiihits a most happy imitation of nature, in the ease, grace, and simplicity of its folds. On the two profiles of the monument, are carved portraits of Dryden and Pope; and," on the front of the bass relievo are those of Aristotle and HOmer. The top of the cornice i$ enriched by antique ornaments. In the cen- tre, on the plinth above, is the Ancanthus, from the foliage of which sprouts the Grecian fyre. INSCRIPTION. H. S. E. JOSllPHUS WARTON, S. T. I*. HUJUS ECCLESIiE, PR^EBEN DARIUS SCHaLJS WINTOl^IENSIS, P'ERAXNOS FERB TRIGIKTA INFORMATOR, - POJLT-A FERVIDUS FACILIS EXPOLITUS- CKITICUS ERUDITUS PERSPICAX ELECAN9 flAMrSHIRE STATION. 69 OBIIT XXIII. FEB. MDCCC JET AT. LXXVIII. HOC QUALECUNQUE PIETATIS MONUMENTUM TRJECEVTORI OPTIMO DESIDERATISSIMO WICCAMICI SUI P. C. The sculptural part is by Flaxman, on whose taste in the design, and spirit in the execu-. tion, it reflects the higfiest honour. ^ Tlie proposal for a monument to Dr. War- ton, in Winchester-cathedral, was first moved by R. Poole Carew, Esq. at tlie Wickamist meeting, and unanimously agreed to, under the following regulation — that no person should subscribe more than five, or less than one oui- ' Or Ilea. Thus, his scholars raised 500/. the whole expense of the work; the purpose of which is to represent their respected master, in the chair of Aristotle, delivering precepts of phi- losophy and criticism to his pupils. Riany illustrious names are found in the list of sub- scribers; the Bishops of Winchester, Glouces- ter, and St. David's ; the Deans of Winchester, and St. Asaph; Sir Richard Worsley, Mr. Ad* Jington, Mr. Braggc, &c. &c. 70 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANIXGS- The sculptor of Walton's monument, fi- nished another at the same time, by order of Parhament, in Westminster- Abbey, to Captain Montague,* who fell, in the service of his country, on the 1st of June, 1794, when the English fleet, under the command of Earl Howe, obtained a signal victory over the French. In this insulated monument, the figure of the Captain rests on his sword ; Victory, in the midst of a trophy of uaval flags, waves a gar- land of laurel over his head. The pedestal is guarded by two lions, and, at the back of the pedestal are the figures of prisoners. The whole is upwards of twenty feet high. The expense was three thousand five hundred guineas. "Xbe workmanship justifies the cost. The road from Fareham to Titchfield is va- riegated by innumerable objects that interest the" pictorial traveller; and, in truth, lovers of nature of whatever character. Broken ground, with intermixture of fern, molehills, rushes, now broad, now narrow, bounded by hedge-rows, with their accustomed mixtures of foliage of every possible colour in autumn, are agreeable objects en passant. From these,, emerging into more wild yet fertile and prolific heath, the eye ^ " '■'■ ■■ !■ ■ - .. ■— ■ ■■■ I, ■■ — l^i ■■■.■! Mpl I ■■■■. 1^^ * Of the ship Montague. HAMPSHIRE STATIOJf. 7i is carried over tlic softest meadow-lands to the «ea, with the Isle of Wiglit and hills beyond. Passing the heath, these views are succeeded by others no less engaging. You enter a lane which, midwa3's presents the ruins of Titch-' field -House. After a thick arbouring of the hedge-enclosures, you walk in their foliage, till, descending farther, youx eye, led by the river, which on both sides of the bridge breaks out from its banks, and refreshes while it overflows the verdure. The Abbey i^ bounded, on the side of the road, by literally an " ivy-mantled " wall, topped by fruit trees ^f the Abbey-orchard. From this spot, the direction-post gives you the choice of returning to Fareham, or proceeding to Wickam, and from thence to Southampton. It should be noticed that Wickam is a central point, for excursions to the following beautiful places^ From Wickam to Portsmouth to Gosport . . to Southampton to Rumsey . . to Winchester to Wanford . . to Horndean . to Havert . . to Chichester. Miles. IQ 10 14 18 14 10 14 13 22 72 SUPPLEMEKTARY GLEAXINGS. And a number of intermediate towns and villages. A little way On the Titclifield-road is a turning, which will take you to the wreck of the house, by the ruin of the stables. It may be almost said, the very ruins are ruined, since the late delapidations. Amongst the preserved rooms is that from which Charles made his escape to the Isle of Wight. From the front of the house is an extensive and beautiful view of Titchfield, and the countrv around it ; and beyond that again, the Southampton-river winding round the Isle. The orchard, though every tree is mossed Avith ages gray, still yields its fruits, which a bonny Scotswoman dispenses, for a small or large compliment, as the traveller pleases, most liberally. NOi'E. These ruins are situated near the western bank of Titch- field, now on the spot where formerly stood an abbey of Prae- monstratensian canons, built in 1231, by Peter de Rupibus, or de la Roche, Bishop of Winchester, .who obtained this manor of Henry III. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and, at the suppression, had an abbot and twelve canons, with an an- nual revenue of -about 280/. It was granted, in the twenty- ninth year of Henry VIII. to Sir Thomas Wriotheseley, then se- cretary of state, who, as appears . from Leland's Itinerary, on the scite and probably with the materials of the monastery HAMrSHIRE STATION. 73 ercctetl this mansion. His words arc, " Mr. Wriothcscloy hath buildcil a right stately house embatclcd, and ha\ing a goodclcy gate, and a conducte castlclid in the middle of the court of it, yn the very same place wher the late monjiitcrie of tho Pra;monstratonscs stoode, cauUyd Tichefelde." In jNIarch, l^+S, Henry VI. received Margaret of Anjou, at Titchficld-Abbey, and there renewed his niarriage-contrart \\ith her. She haxl landed at Porchester, from the continent, where the Earl of Sutfolk, Henry's ambassador, had espoused her, as his master's proxy. . Edward VI. was entertained at this house, iif the journcj which he made for the benefit of his health. Here, also, Charles I. was concealed, in his flight . from Hampton- Court, in 1647 : it was then one of the scats of the Earl of Southampton, where his mother resided •with a small family;.- From this place,, the king was conducted to the Isle of Wight, by Colonel Hammond ! The present remains of this mansion arc in a very dilapidated state ; but enough of the front is still left, to shew it has been, in its time, a handsome and stately building. At present, it is the property of John Delme, Esq. Few of the apartments now remain, and the owner must be left to excuse himself to the antiquaries for his late devastations; sixteen rooms having been demolished, within these few years, for the materials; one of which was an armory. From the lead;, we have a' pleasing viev cf Titchfield, with the corn-lands and pastures around it, and a distant prospect of the sea and part of the Isle of Wight. At a little distance from the house stand the stables, which were every way suited to . the dignity of the mansion. Tour, second Edition. . The name of the place alludes to its agreeable scite. The remains of Beaulieu-Abbey are even now considerable. The abbey-walls, which included an area of near twenty acres, are pretty perfect; and, by the ruins of foundations which ap- 74 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. pear in different parts within them, we are assured its build- .jngs must have been very extensive. The house where the ab- bot resided is now known by the name of the palace; having been fitted up as a mansion, by the predecessor of the late Duke of Montague. An old stone gateway, which was the porter's lodge, is still standing. On the front of the dwelling- house is a Gothic canopy, with a niche. The figure of th» Virgin Mary, which it contained, fell down, it is said, some years ago. The antient and elegant vaulted hall is worthy of notice. The drawing-room is a good apartment. Over the fire-place hangs a curious old map of Bcaulieu-manor, accu'* lately delineated on parchment. From the intricacy of the numerous staircases and passages of the mansion, the writers of modern romances might bor- row bints for bewildering their heroes and heroines in quest of supernatural adventures. On pursuing the windings, they fre- quently remind us of " long passages that Fead to nothing." From the leads of the house are very pleasing views of tho grounds and river. The ill-taste in altering this antient place b discernible enough from the fantastic manner in which it is moated and fortified. To the east of this building is the ruin of another, which Mfas probably the dormitory of the monastery. There are several cellars under it. The antient kitchen is also to be seen. The old refectory, or dining room of the abbey, now forms the parish-church of the village. . It has a curious oaken roof, and an anlipnt pulpitj from which the reader of the convent, according to their rules, was to edify the monks with some portion of history, or a homily, or sermon, while sitting at their meals, to which they were enjoined to attend in silence. The monumental inscriptions in the church are few, and not remarkable. This abbey was founded by King John. Monkish writers would fain represent him as impelled to this act oUpiety by a HAMPSHIRE STATION. 75 terrifying dream; which, from their well-known readiness at ijianufactoring such stories, we have no reason to wonder at. Whatever was John's motive, it appears that he certainly founded and endowed this abbey in ISO-i, placing therein thirty monks, brought from other Cistercian houses. Yet the dedication did not take place till upwards of forty yeajs qfter, when that solemnity was performed, with great state, on the festival of John the Baptist. King Henry III. and his queen, his brother, several prelates, and many nobility being present. The abbot, too courtly to remember, on such an occasion, t;he rigid Cistercian rules, entertained the company with great splendour, at the expense of more than five hun- dred marks. Among the privileges this abbey possessed v/as that of sanctuary; by which any felon taking refuge in the monastery, or its precincts, was sheltered from the arm of justice, and allowed the space of forty days to escape beyond the sea. Whoever was daring enough to molest him, during this term, not only brought upon himself the thunder of the church, but incurred the vengeance of the civil magistrate. After the battle of Barnet, which gave the death-blow to all the hopes of Henry VI. and fixed Henry IV. on the throne, Margaret of Anjou, wife of tlie deposed monarch, with the prince her son, took sanctuary in Beaulieu-Abbey, a short time, in 1471. The famous imposter Perkin Warbeck, in 1498, having raised the siege of Exeter, and retired with his army to Taun-' ton, fled from it, by night, to Beaulieu-monastcry, where he and several of his company registered themselves as sanctu- ary men. A large party of horse beset the abbey to prevent his escape, but Henry VII. was advised against seiziilg him by violence, lest he should provoke the Pope, as a violator of sanctuaries. He sent to offer Perkin his life, if he would voluntarily surrender ; Perkin, accepting the terms, was ta- 76 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEAXiXGS. ken to London, and confined in the Tower ; but being after- vards tried for seditious practices, while in imprisonment, he was hanged at Tyburn, Nov. 23. 14.99, The evils occasioned by these numerous sanctuaries were of the most serious and extensive nature. Stowe tells -us, " Un- tfirifts riot and run in debt upon the boldness of these places. Yea, and rich men run thither with poor men's goods, where tiiey build. There they s])end and bid their creditors go whis- tle them. j\!cn's wives run thither with their husband's plate, and say, they dare not abide with their husbands for beating them. Thieves bring thither their stolen goods, and live thereon. There they devise robberies : nightly they steal out ; they rob and kill, and come again; as though these places gave them not only safe-guard for the harm they have done, but a license to do more." Mr. Gilpin mentions to have seen, some years ago, among these ruins, a very extraordinary instance of vegetation. The paain stem of an oak arose in contact with the side of a wall ■which was entire, and extended to one of his principal limbs along the summit of it. This limb, at a distance of a few yards from the parent tree, finding a fissure in the wall, in which there might probably be some deposit of soil, shot a root through it into the earth ; from hence, shooting again through another part of the wall, it formed a new stem, as large as the original tree; and from this again proceeded Another horizontal branch', like the former. In a great Atorm, on the 27th of February, 1781, both the wall and the tree were blown down toaether. • KAMP&IHRE STATION, 77 Southampton, jVor. 8, 1799. PART of another fine clay brightened our ex- cursion to Lyndhurst and Lymington, by a cir- cuitous way toRumsey. After passing Beaulieu- heath, the scenery to the left, when you have quitted Nut-SheUing- Common, which is indeed as rugged and sterile as it has been represented,, is rich and various. The road soon becomes replete with interesting objects^ The eye i* opened on the picturesque house of Mrs., Fletcher, beyond which the woods gradually arise to the utmost limit of your view, in great and uncommon beauty ; and no sooner is this scene shut, than you are disposed to forgive, the interruption, as you proceed on a road now variegated by hedge- rows, and now ad- mitted into woods, with many a green lane, into which you will be tempted by more than vagrant curiosity, to weave yourself into the foliage, by leaving your carriage to the coach- man. On your return from these verdant di- gressions, into the more beaten, yet beauteous path, from which you had strayed, the charms of the more aspiring hedge- row are re- signed to the disciplined quicksets, only to recover the ampler prospects which had befor H §^ SUPP-LEMtNTART GI^EANINGS. steed, joining the garden -grcmnci and good old orchard, pleasant from its irregularity. The sound of the unseen brook. The road-side inn, and the passengers drink- ing at it; while the sign ©f the sun, or star, or angel, waves over head. A loaded team. The sleek- sided steeds sto])ping midway upon the hill ; each cheered by a pat, and a bite of fra- grant hay : the white-frocked driver whistling. The busy children, lured by the shining hope of a halfpenn}', running, with emulati\e step, to open the gate for the gentry folk ! a bow and courtesy dropt in haste, and the gate deserted, least they should lose the gift of the passenger. The pleasant resting-place at the rural inn, and the cheerful parlour, adorned with pictures of the chase, and the Prince of Wales, who would not know himself, through the disguise of such a daubino*. o Lord Chatham's lofty fomi and awful mien, and Grainby'sinterestinghead and generous hand, both in flaming prints of deep yellow and red. * The glowing fire and smiling landlady. The rural repast and smiling ale,- — a picture in itself — garnished sideboard, flowers, fruits, .'travellers, waiters, house-dog, cat, — last Lon- don News, — fresh stirred fire. ilAMPSIIIRE STATION. 99 The village strowl, while the repast ispre- ■ pared, through the church-way path. The usual in.sj)cctioii of graves and tombs : inscrip- iioiis spelt by the unlettered muse. Another brook, swelled by the rain, now creeping slowly along. Now rapidly hurrying away ; how sweet to follow its course, through all the soft varieties of sound, and frequently of sight \ Fancy-work amongst the clouds, likewise, is wonderfully diverting; I amused myself with looking some of these into the figure of a captive giant — nothing appeared plainer than his mitred head ; I soon perceived his face, at first inflamed as with anger ; next saw his burnished couch, then the whole of his vast figure recumbent on a magnificent bed of clouds, the drapery rich and various. He extended his enormous length *' many a rood," and appeared proud in ruin. Imagination, resolved to finish her picture, con- cluded, by shaping a chaos of smaller clouds into various inhabitants of the air, curiously crowding to see the giant on his death- bed ; and some seemed piously watching his gradual dissolu- tion. — The giant sunk, and his attendants, vanished. Fancy had done her work, and was satisfied with her harmless creations. H 12 HAMPSHIRE STATION CONTINUED. NEW FOREST, TRIBUTARY SKETCH Ot TBK AUTHOR ot " FOREST-SCENERY." jIT 7€as pleasant to Jind that I had written most of the prior and subsequent observations, relative to New Forest, before Mr. Gilpin's vo- lumes came a second time into my hands. I was gratified to perceive we agreed in admiring the same objects, places, S;c. The sets of his " Foj^est- Scenery,''' appertaining to the libraries at South- ampton, were, as they ought to be, in coiistant cir- dilation ; nor had any of my private friends there the work at home. A t length, I took occasion, when, at Brockenhurst, to invite the loan of the books from Mr. John Gilpin, the authors near relative, who obligingly supplied me ; and, on regaining my JFoodlands^Station, I found a similar marl: of attention, by favour of. another gentleman in the neighbourhood. Many years had passed since I read the above- mentioned work; of which the general impression was unimpaired : but namberlois touches, pccu- iO'2 tntBVtt Uqr to Air. Gilpin s pencil, were brought frcsfi to memorkj by r^perusal. Stick scdnds and sub- jects, as we had mutualbj considered, lam noxv able to adorn and enrich, by burrowing from his store some appropriate passages, and girviug them the form of illustrative notes. JFith what literal ttuth can I say, with this ami- able writer, one scene drezo me on to another^ till, at length, I had traversed the whole fo- 7'est. The subject was new to me. I had been ?nuch among lakes and rnountainSf hut I had never before lived in a forest ; I Jmew little of its scenery. Every thing caught my attention ; and, as I generally had a note-book in my hand, I made minutes of what I observed. . Mr. Gilpin died in tJie spring, Or, rather, early in the summer, of the present year, about eighty - four years of age. He enjoyed a long lite- rary career. His first publication xcas the Lives of several of the Reformers. - From his V'ritings, and from whatever can be collected of his actions, his character was that of a gentle, hu- mane, tolerant, ingenious, benevolent rjian; and one cannot but honour the zeal he discovered for what he believed to be truth ; his sentiments were generous, and his philanthropy active. To his brethren of the sacred order, he was a mo- del for imitation, in the simplicity of style by which he laboured to make himself understood by I TO GILPIN'. 103 the poor of his Jlqck, as well as in the employ- ment of his time, and in the iimcearied assiduity xoith Tihich he promoted plans for the temporal comfort of all his parishioners. Many of the " Hints for Sermons,"' which he has published, were written in his seasons of recreation. It was his custom to provide a supply of te.vts of Scripture in his pocket-book ; and zvhcn, during his walk, he felt inclined to compose, he selected whatever subject at the time impressed his mind. Thus xvere his very amusements devoted to tJic promotion of every moral and Christian virtue; and thus, were his talents conse- crated to the same noble end. The profits of his picturesque works were intirely dedi- cated to benevolent purposes. His drawings, amounting to two thousand, were sold by auction, in London, about two or three years ago; and, with the produce of them, he formed a fund for the permanent establishment of a charity-school. He was, likezvise, instrumental in founding a female beneft-society, at Lym- ington ; and there is a most pleasing account of the improved management of Boldre-workhouse, distinguished by all the simplicity of his instruc- tive pen, and exceedingly interesting. This is referred to in a note, at page 46, of the Tour round Southampton. From these it will be per- ceived, how zcell his biography deserves to be }04? TRIBUTE, &C. ^critten by some able hand ; that his charactei\ (like that of the exxellent Bernard Gilpin, in the days of Mary and Elizabeth,) may stand forth to this and to future ages as another of the Irving evidences of the truth and power of Christianity, ' The substance of the reference alluded to is subjoined. Speaking of Vicar's Hill, the late residence of the exeynplary Gilpin, the author says — may we not be permitted to admire a character like the Vicar of Boldre ; who, formed rvith a rare and an ex'quisite taste, to relish and describe the- pictui^esque beau- ties of the mountain, the lake, and th^ forest, conside7's not these things " as the principal em- ployment of his talents or his life ;" and is nei- ther afraid nor ashamed to protiounce that man ** happy,"' who carries about with him a sense of true religion ? " Whom, what he views of beautiful or grand In nature, fipm the broad majestic oak To the green blade that twinkles in the sun. Prompts with remembrance of a present God.^ NEW FOREST, Y ES, my loi'^d friend, I acknowledge the charge which you* have brought against me to be, in part, well-founded ; but only in part. I have, it is true, suffered a deep veil to fall on our intercourse; it has been the veil, not of oblivion, but of silence; and that silence has been imposed, exacted, extorted, yea, wrung from my harassed nature; and just at the time that I was leading you to the most inte- resting objects. The fact is, that during the whole of the pause of which you affectionate- ly complain, I have been even sick at soul. Could the body be in health, could the heart perform any of its dearest offices, save that alone which incommunicable reflection affords to the solitary mourner ? That indeed supplied the most faithful, the most tender remem- brance of you and of yours. In this way, my mind has been always in constant inter- change witli your oXvin ; an indescribable, yet I06 SCtPLEMENTARY GL£ANIXGS. bosom-felt exchange of sensation and of senti- ment seemed passing between us; a revibia- tion of those sympathies which first endeared us to eacli other; and which every occur- rence, either of sorrow or of joy, appeared to strengthen. Well might the poet exclaim, " Ah, what is life without a friend ! " Even a long and desolating sickness has but served as an echo to this exclamation: and to prove to me the more than infant weakness of human beings, unpossessed of that choicest gift of heaven; and of their energy when it is be- stowed. It is true that I a\ as languislnng in a diseased chamber, but Imagination, one of the heart's swiftest messengers — the very dove of the bosom, and ''sent on errands of love," — flew^ across the channel, traversed the wide continent, and could not settle till she borq you from your castle, and seated you by the side of my bed. There my mind's eye surveyed you, and I felt that sort of refreshment realized^, "which the poets have supposed to be derived from the visitation of a s:uardian oenius. And when the^ heart broke this its own talisman, to admit another visitant; yea, when Heason smiled upon the charm, Avhich she insidiously helped to dissolve; when she painftdly con- Vinc-ed me the soothing, fairy images had HAMPSHIRE STATION. 10/ been the work of imagination only, as I was still actually alone and in my sick room, your letters infused balm upon the pillow: and, although your five last packets found mc scarcely able to hold them to the eyes, which liad as little power to assist mc to view the sentiipcnts, a sudden renovation of strength and of vision seemed allowed, or was ittheex- ertiofi of an affectionate mind^ resolute to greet its object ? I saw, felt, and understood, your goodness, and your love — nay, my friend, I did more, I responded silently to every line. Your generous question, as to the cause and extent of njy silence; your gentle fears, lest it should have been begun and continued by ' indisposition of body, or grief of mind ; liad all their appropriate answers. " I spake, though I said nothing." Though our inter- course of friendship, by.the mail, was suspend- ed, my heart was inditing of a good matter, for it was still in correspondence with one of th§ most amiable and ino-cnious -of the human race ; and could the grateful and tender thoughts which I breathed over your pages, of the kind Avishes aspirated on each indulgence received, be made known to vou ; could they have become legible, and the thoughts themselves have taken wing, you would have welcomed a Qioie iutcrestino;; proof of nj^ l03 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. friendship, than any I have ever transmitteci to yoM by the post. You are not amongst the number of those, my dear friend, who will deem an analysis of the emotions of the heart, under the circum- stances in which this letter is written, digres- sive from the objects of a correspondence that is devoted no less to the £.Tatification of the affections, than to that of curiosity. It is not/ indeed, precisely within the hmit of any ob- servation peculiar to the island of which I have been endeavouring to give you some of the most striking features, but it is a most ex- pressive trait in the character and countenance of every worthy and enlightetied heart, in every part of the world ; — for, in what corner of it livc;^ there a being who is insensible of receiving and letuming affection? I will, therefore, venture to ask you, whose feelings are so nicely attuned to the best sensibilities, whether you do not ima- gine that the sensation which one friend feels for another is not, generally, much more sweet and strong in his idea than in his words ; — whether the thoughts which enter and fill the mind, at the time it may be incon- venient to umte or to convet^se are not usu- ally more near and true to the emotion of th^ heart than tlie happiest expression ? I am persuaded you will agree with me that they HAMPSHIRE STATION. 109 are; and yet I should not attribute this in- equality so much to the penury of language, written or oral, as to the spirit of a sudden visi- tor, that descends, as from heaven, into the human bosom, filling il with those momentary impulses and inspirations, too vivid and too bright to be marked by any mechanical ope- ration, Feehngs of this kind seize us unex- pectedly; they give no warning; they, cross the mind, literally, with the rapidity of thought, jn a thousand directions ; they find us in our deepest solitudes ; they dart into our bosoms, in the midst of society ; they are conveyed into the recesses of our souls, by a look, a sigh. What could either pen or pencil do for a friend in such moments? Moments immortal ! Such, chosen of my mind ! have often been bestowed upon your present correspondent, to soften the asperity of distemper, and to console the mise- ries of life. Shall I conclude by confessing that I should be disappointed, if, in the long interval which has thus impeded our lettered intercourse, you have not experienced the game eniotions? 110 "SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS. N€w Forest, October 1, 1804. YOU must now indulge me with one of my cliaracteristic bounds over time and space, and by a leap of no less than five years ; even from the October of 1799, to that of 1804. But not from any disposition to (hgress, unless* you will permit me the seeming paradox of calling it a digression in point. I require it for no other reason, than that I may connect the scenery of the same county, sketched at diiferent times, though each scene perfectly in keeping with the other. It has happened, by a singular chain of co- incidences, that the casual remarks which I made in Hampshire, and which, as you know, formed the subject of our correspondence, in the autumn of the first-mentioned year, have been sent back to me in a printed form, for what, in technical language, are called proof- sheets, and I have been revising them near the spot where the matter was formerly collected. I was insensibly led to extend my observa- tions under yet more favourable opportunities. The xlivision of the county I have recently examined, being yet more inviting as to scenery, and the autumn of the present year far surpassing, in beauty, that of ninety-nine. HAMPSHIRE STATION. Ill And, what is yet more auspicious, to mental excursions, than either the brightness of the skies or the verdure of the woods, or even the bahiiy spirit that seems to dchght in the waters, —lam in better health ! a circumstance to which, I shall readily allow, those auxiliaries have larg-e- ly contributed. You see, then, the impossibility of my suf- fering such a season, in such a place, to pass unnoticed. On my hrst coming down, I was forbid the pencil, but I am convinced I should have pined in thought, had I not used it, I should have looked at scenes which I should have languished to share with an absent friend. Solitary pleasure Avould have failed to give the miser s joy : the eye would have been fatigued with gazing on objects I could not mark for the denizen of my bosom : and, however delightful, under the impres- sions of affectionate associations, for which, I trust, nature and habit have formed my lieart, I am convinced I should have been weary with sun, and dissatisfied with shade, had all that I have felt and seen in the past two months been devoted to self-gratification. The custom of impressing a scene, or a society, orof a singular character, upon paper, is so strong in me, that I feel an impatience to put it ]>eyond the 112 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. reach of accident, or the fading powef of me- mory ; and in these cases I resort to the note-book and pencil, whether on horseback or on foot ; or, wanting these, I have not seldom smiled at myself, — sometimes half in anger, — to think I should have forgot my indispensible travelling companions. I fear I shall be condemned by certain men of business and property, yea and by some men of books, likewise, when I dare ta confess, that I have now and then broke short a ride or w'alk, while the fairest prospects opened before me, and have either rode orran with speed to the place where I sojourned, to preserve for some chosen ones of my mind, what I should otherwise have forgotten, or have recollected when half its colours, its freshness, and its wamith, were evaporated. I seek the shel- ter of your known goodness for these con- fessions; but they truly explain the motives which have induced me to fly from date to date, where the tenderness of friendship inspired the volition. Here, then, I feel assured I may reconduct y ou to parts of the New Forest 1 did not in- clude in our former correspondence. And yet, what can be said of this wildernes* ■o£ sweets, although it spreads the most luxr uriant beauties over, a space of near fifty milef> UaMPSIIIRK STATION'. 113 cjr(:umference ? wliat remains for the most im- j>assionec! lover of Nature to say that has not been said in the best and happiest manner by the elegant and accurate (lilpin ? Are not its majestic avenues, its softest recesses, its most Vxpansi\'c openings, and its most lovely seciM*- sions, formed into so many pictures by his ski|- fid hand, for our delight aiid admiration ? Is there an associated verdant groupe, or a distinct tree — proud of its independence — which lus magic pencil, as if it were endowed with the powei*s of Prospero.'s wand, that he has not brought under the eye, and given life, mo- tion, and spirit to every thing he has touched ? It would seem to be a task, not only of supere- rog-ation, but of presumption, to attempt adding either grace, beauty, or utility, to his highly- fmished drawings, were I not to explain. I have been myself living amidst this almost paradisaic scenery, and taking views of it in varied and almost constant excursion, during several unclouded weeks. I came to the spot, in the first instance, weak and exhausted ; and iiave been daily renovating, under the influence of bountiful Nature, benignant skies, exquisitp weather, and very pleasing societ}\ I am, even at the moment of writing, just returned from an assemblage of all these, with my fancy gra- tified and my feelings enlarged, vojL. I. r 114 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. An endeavour to impress on the mind of my friend what has thus deeply interested my own, is inseparable from the hope of communicating the pleasure one receives ; and the genius of Gilpin will, on such an occasion, allow me to retrace the ground which he has consecrated. I can offer, indeed, only sketches, and those drawn with a hasty but enraptured hand ; and though they are the results of immediate observa- tion, ahke vivid and faithful, they must be consi- dered as a mere material of the landscape, rather than the landscape itself: to speak yet more truly, they are the materials of landscapes in- numerable. The varieties of the forest might sup- ply a thousand distinct or associated objects to fill the canvass of as many painters. WhocvTr enters the maze, and pursues the paths, as they wind alonsf, will be encircled bv an unceasing; charm, that varies at every fifty paces : at one time you are presented, in broad display, as at the top of Bramble-Hill, with the long-extended pomp of woods over woods, and forest over forest, till the most eminent range, which forms the boundary, and, indeed, the horizon, appears to be blended with those lucid clouds, which, in the beginning of a fine autumn, are tipped jound their edges with the most rich and vari- egated colours. While myself and friend were noticing this magnificent exhibition, the sun HAMPSHIRE STATION. 113 I suddenly darted fort a ray so intense, it seemed as if summer had returned, with his fervent heat, to annoy us. A wood, or rather a scries of woods were close behind, and it was little more than turning ourselves round, to be covered by shades that would have been a shelter from the rage of the torfid zone. It was^ an almost instantaneous transition from insufferable masses of hght, to the coolness of a grotto. ThcUi the variety of lawny open spaces, between one woody amphitheatre and another; and these again succeeded by totally different objects : such as deer reposing, or at feed, or seen obliquely through the shade, now trotting before you over the plain, now bounding over the hills, and, when at some distance, standingstill to view you. The forest-cattle, groupes of sheep, horses, cows, mixed together, or separated and classed; thevery swine, which, in autumn, luxuriate upon the beach nuts and acorns, add materially to the forest-picturCi Many of the oaks are ivied, and many of the beeches mossed, from their roots to their topmost jjranches. It altogether forms a scene of which the Sun, 'that gives it lustre, and Nature, that gave it birth, seems justly proud. And it may be truly said of this forest, that it is the only spot in the kingdom, of equal extent, where the extreme beauty of the woodland makes us almost insensible to the I ^> Il6 SUPPLEMENTARY 6tEAlSt^6S. want of water, wliicli is known to be an indis- pensable o^^ject in almost every other tract of country. We were much mtcrested l^y noticing, here- and there, a liglitntng-stnick tree extended on the ground, and encircled by his vegetable fa- mily, whom we were disposed to imagine wavina: their braiichins: arms and boM'i'nt>' their o o o green heads, as if to pay the tri^bute of kindi-cd respect to the memoiy of a fallen brother. Frown not, my friend, on these momentary spottings of fancy : they add to the charms of life. Truly may it be said that the traveller here sees Nature '' Snatching a grace Beyond the reach of art ; " and that, at numberless points m the course of » morning's ride through the verdant labyrinths- of this majestic wood, we suffered ourselves to be conducted wherever the Genius of the Forest led the way ; and a traveller must be dead, indeed, to all the charms of natu?e who cannot suppose himself under the guidance, yea, and the inspi- ration of some such deity. The forest-holly is beautiful, whether standing^ in groupes, or twining round the oaks : they are finely contrasted, in their dark glossy or varie- gated hues of unfading verdure, with the more HAMPSHIRE STATION. 117 vivid, but temporary, vegetation. And of the holly itself there is an abundant diversity : we disco- vered three different shades in the same number of trees. I place a mark of emphasis under the word trees, because they really aspire, in this forest, to the height and substance of many of the elms, ashes, and poplars ; and, consequently, rise above the ordinary holly-bushes, which gene- rally are only to be ranked amongdie underwood. The holly, wlien fruited, perhaj^s, in point of beauty, may vie with any other tree in the fo* rest. Mr. Eveliu, in his " Sylva," cries out, with rapture, — *' Is there, under heaven, a more glorious and refreshing object of the kind than an impenetrable hedge of about four hun- dred feet in length, nine feet high, and five in diameter, which I can shew in my gardens at Stay's Court, at any time of the year, glittering witli its armed and varnished leaves, the taller standards at orderly distances, blushing, witli their natural coral, shorn and fashioned into columns and pilasters, architecturally shaped at due distances?" Though we cannot accord with the learned naturalist in the whole of this rapturous encomium on tlie hedge at Stay's Court, yet, in part, we agree with him; and admire, as nuich as he, the holly glitter- ing with its armed and varnished leaves, and blushing with its natural coral ; but we could 118 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. wish to recommend it, not in a hedge, but in Vi forest, where, mixt with oak or ash, or other trees of the wood, it contributes to form the most beautiful scenes, blending itself with the trunks and skeletons of the winter, or with the varied greens of summer. Near Edgworth, Hampton-Heath, and the Lodge, there is lite- rally the remains of an extensive holly forest. Mr. Gilpin allows, that, as far as an individual green can be beautiful, the holly is extremely so. It has, -besides, to reconmiend it, that it is among the hardest and stoutest plants of English growth : thriving in all soils, and in all situations. At Dungeness, it flourishes even among the pebbles of the beach. The variegation of heath and furze, with their appropriate blossoms; and the fern partyet boast- ing the verdure of summer ; part assuming the russet tinges of autumn ; the fern-^cutters dis- persed about the open or covert scenery of the fo- rest*; the fern-harvest, which gives a view of a new class of labourers, of forest growth and fo- rest feelings ; * wild as their deer, sturdy as their * In wild, rugged countries, Mr. Gilpin observes, the tnouu- talncer forms a very different character from the fonder. He leads a life of labour, he procures nothing without it ; he has neither time for idleness and dishonest arts, nor meets with any thing to allure him into them. Bijt the forester, who has the HAMPSHIRE STATION. 119 little steeds, cunning and furtive as their foxes, and often obstinate as their pigs ; — these are all temptation of plunder, on every side, finds it easier to trespass than work. Hence, the one becomes often a rough, manly, ingenuous peasant, the other a supple, crafty, pilfering knave. Even the very practice of following a night occupation leads to mischief; the nightly wanderer, unless bis mind be engaged in some necessary business, will find many temptations to take the advantage of the incautious security of those who are asleep. From these considerations Mr, St.-John draws an argument for the sale of forest-lands. Poverty, says he, will be changed into affluence, the cottager will become a farmer, the wilder- ness will be converted into rich pastures and fertile fields, fur- nishing provisions for the country and employment for the poor. The borders and confines of forests will cease to be nurseries for county jails, the trespasser will no longer prey upon the xert, nor the vagabond and outlaw on the xeimon. Nay, the very soil itself will not be gradually lost and stolen by puiprestures and assarts. Thus, forests, which were formerly the haunts of robbers, and the scenes of violence and rapine, maybe con- verted into the receptacles of honest industry. I had ontfe some occasional intercourse with a forest borderer, who had formerly been a noted dcer-stcaler : he had often, like the deer-btealer in the play, " Struck a doe. And Born her cleanly by the keeper's nose." Indeed he had been at the head of his profession, and, during a leign of five years, assured me he had killed, on an average, not fewer than a hundred bucks a year. At length, he was obliged to abscond ; but, compromising his affairs, he abjured his trade, and would speak of his former acts without reserve. He has oftener 1£0 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. full of picture. Yet I am tokl the woodland depre- dators chiefly confine themselves to the petty lar- than once confessed the sins of his youth to me, from which an ideam.ay be formed of the mystery of dccr-stealing, in its highest Diode of perfection. In his excursions in the forest he carried with liim a gun, which screwed into three parts, and which he could easily conceal in the lining of hi§<;oat. Thus armed, he would drink with the under keepers willjout suspicion, and, when he inew them engaged, would securely take his stand, in some dis- tant part, and mark his buck. V\'henhe had killed him, he would tfraw him aside into the bushes, and spend the remaining part of the day in a neighbouring tree, that he might be sure no spies were in the way. At night, he secreted his plunder. lie had boarded olf a part of bis cottage, forming a rough door into it, like the rest of the partition, struck full of false nail heads, with such artifice, that the keepers, on an information, have searched his house again and again, and have gone offsatisfied of his in- jiocence» though in his secret larder were, perhaps, at that very time, contained a brace of bucks. He had, always, he said, a quick market for his venison, for the country is as ready to purchase it as these fellows are to procure it, It is a forest adage of autient date, r.on at viquirendum unde vant xeiiison. And yet, in some circumstances, these little tenements, en-^ croachments as they arc, and often the nurseries of idleness, give pleasure to a benevolent breast. When we see them, as we' sometimes do, the habitations of innocence and industry, and the means of providing for a large family, with ease and comfort, wo are pleased at the idea of so much utility and hap- piness arising from a petty trespass on a waste, which cannot, in itself, be considered as an injury. I once found, in a tenement of this kind, an antient widow whose little story pleased me. Her solitary dwelling stood sweetly HAMPSHinE STATION. 1^1 cenies of the forest, such as stripping a tree of its living branches to make up their dead-wood faggots, and then laying the blame upon the tempest, as the author of the wind- falls. But it must be a pleasant circumstance for a traveller to know, that he may traverse in all directions, and at all hours, and without a companion, if he chooses, the ninety-two thousand three hundred and sixty-five acres, which the forest is said to contain, without the slightest apprehension of being molested, either by natives or aliens. in a dell, on the edge of the forest. Her husband had himself reared it, and ) d her to it as the habitation of her life. He had made a garden in the front, planted an orchard at one end, and a few trees at the other, which in forty years had now shielded the cptta^e, and almost concealed it. In her early youth she had feden left a widow, with two sons and a daughter, whose slender education (only what she herself could give them) was almost her whole employment ; and the time of their youth, she said, was the pleasantest time of her life. As they grew up, and the cares of the world subsided, a settled piety took possession of her mind. Her age was oppressed with infirmity, sickness, and various afflictions in her family. In these dis- tresses, her Bible was her great comfort. I visited her fre- quently in her last illness, and found her very intelligent in Scrip- ture, and well versed in all the gospel topics of consolation. For many years she read every day a portion of her Bible ; sel- dom any other book : Just knew, and knew no more, her Bible tnie. And in tliat charter read, with sparkling eyes, Her title to a treasure in the skies, 12G SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS, Various friends, on whose information I can depend, assure me of this fact, on the experi- ence of long residence, and quiet possession of the cots, villas, and other property, however tangible or tempting, save the wood pillages already mentioned. And it will be yet more satisfactory for such as arc sufficiently attracted by the enchantment of the scenes, to wish to fix a retreat, and become foresters themselves, to be told, that they may establish a local ha- bitation or a j>ermanent abode, in this literally wilderness of sweets, without the smallest dread of an intruder of any kind. The windows are left, through the night, without fastening ; the doors are very slightly secured, and^^ou do not so much as hear of invasion by night, »or at- tacks by day.* * There is not less security to travellers without door than within, a robbery not having been committed within the pre- sincts of the forest for upwards of thirty years; yet the forest itself is plundered perpetually. The many advantages which the borderers on forests enjome breathing north-east; a dirty duck- 158 SUPPLEMENTARY GXEAXIXGS. pond in the midst of a half cot, and half farm-house, and yard in the centre, shutting out a slant view of the wood, at the only point Nature had any chance of entering ! But every man in his humour, you know. So we will leave the proprietor of the above Indescribable to his enjoyments ; hoping that he and his yews, his firs, and his poplars, may prosper to his heart's content. The place from whence I date, approaches very close upon the legitimate cottage, if I may be allowed so to express myself, as opposed to the bastard kind of habitation, which often affects those laws of simplicity, from which it differs as much as a house in Duke's Place, from a hut in the Highlands. Woodlands — like many other dwellings which are, as they ought to be, its near and friendly neighbours, but not stuck together, street-fashion, as close as figs — is placed in the centre of a neat, unpretending- garden; and three-fourths of the house itself steps not beyond the modesty of a real cot. The rest might be made nearer the precise point of cottage-simplicity,* and therefore better, if • " A house, being merely covered with thatch," says Mr. Gilpin, in his Observations on the Western Parts of England, ** Riaies it no more a cottage than ruffles would make .a HAMPSHIRE STATION. 129 tlicrc were a few changes, which false taste woukt deem for the worse. It is, liowcver, a very comfort-promising httle abode without, and performs what it pro- mises within. It is quite large enough for the reception of the only inmates worth having iu any habitation, — Zeal, Friendship, and Happiness; and, whoever could pine after other society, during the verdant seasons of the year, do not deserve to be half so well established ; unless, indeed, Health were want- down a gentleman, or a meally hat would turn ^ beati> into a miller. — The imagination does not like to be jolted in its sensations, from one idea to anotlier ; but to go on quietly, iu the same track, either of grandeur or simpUciiy. Pleasin^ ideas, no doubt, may be executed under the form of a cot- tage; but, to make them pleasing, they should hQ harmonious. We need not restrict the aHiJicial cottage to so very close an imitation of the natural one. In the inside it may admit of much greater neatness and conveneince, rejecting all splendour. Though the roof be thatched, it may cover two stories: and if it project somewhat over the walls, the effect may be. better. If the windows are sashed, they should not be large ; and if a vestibule be added, it should be only a common brick-porch, with a plain, neat roof. That Kind of plastering which is cal- led rough-cast f is preferable for the front, without stone-work of any kind. The ground about a cottage should be neat, but artless. The lawn, that comes up to the door, should be grazed, rather than mown. The sunk fence, the painted rail, and the broad gravel walk, are ideas alien to the cottago. VOL. I. K 130 SUPPLEMENTARY GLtATS'I'SGS, iiig; and even that delightful Goddess, whcf has ever had tlie rangershfp of the forest, may be induced to join the party, if tl>€ invalid has not too long and too flagrantly broken her commandments. In front of this agreeable and salutary resi- dence, as of several others in a parallel south aspect, is an ample sweep of the fertile pai t of heath or common, whose boundary is a beautiful portion of the Forest in crescent,^ in every tree of which Nature is allowed to sport her fancies. The back of the building is de- fended from the sharp Avind of the north, by oak, beech, elm, and asb, so thick in- woven, that surly Winter is canght in their pro- tecting arms, and pre^'ented entering the cot. In this neighbourhood is the celebrated tree, called Cadenham * oak, which is said to bud every year in the depth of winter. I yesterday went to view it, and would have described it for you, had not the author, to whom I am under so many pleasmg obligations, done it in the best manner to my hands. Having often heard of this oak, says Gilpin, I took a ride to see if, on the 29th of December, 1781. It was pointed out to me among several other oaks, * Cadenham is a village three miles distance from Lyud- hurst. HAMPSHIUE STATION. 131 surrounded by a little forest- stream, winding round a knoll, on which they stood. It is a tall straig-ht plant, of no great age, and appa- rently vigorous, except that it has been injured, from which several branches issue in the form of pollard-shoots. It was intirely bare of leaves, as far as I could discern, when I saw it ; and undistinguishable from the other oaks in its ncighbouriiood, except that its bark seemed rather smoother, occasioned, I apprehend, only by frequent climbing. Having had the ac- count of its early budding confirmed on the spot, I engaged one Michael Lawrance, wh6 kept the V/hite Hart, a small' ale-house in the neighbourhood, to send me some of the leaves, to \'icar's Hill, as soon as they should appear. The man, who had not the least doubt about the matter, kept his word, and sent me several twigs, on the morning of the 5th of January, 178Si, a few hours after they had been gather* ed. The leaves were fairly expanded, and about an inch in length. From some of the buds two leaves had unsheathed themselves, but, in general, only one. Through what power in nature this strange premature vegetation is occasioned I believe no naturalist can explain. I sent some of the leavTs to one of the ablest botanists we have, r*Ir. Lightfoot, author of the Flora Scot ica, and 132 SUPPLl^MENTARY GLEANlNGSi was in hopes of hearing something satisfactory on the subject; but he is one of those philo- sophers, who is not ashamed of ignorance, where attempts at knowledge are mere conjec- ture. He* assured me, that he could not ac- count for it in any way; nor did he know of any other instance, of premature vegetation, except the Glastonbury thorn. The philosophers of the forest, in the mean time, account for the thing at once, through the influ- ence of old Christmas-day, universally believing that the oak buds on that day, and that only. The same opinion is held with regard to the Glas- tonbury thorn, by the common people of the west of England ; but, without doubt, the ger- mination there is gradual, and forwarded or retarded by the mildness or severity of the weather. One of its progeny, which grew in the garden of the Duchess Dowager of Port- land, at B'ulstrode, had its flower- buds perfectly formed so early as the 2 1st of December, 178 1, which is fifteen days earlier than it ought to flower, according to the vulgar prejudice. This early spring, however, of the Caden- ham oak, is of a very short duration. The buds, after infolding themselves, make no far- ther progress, but immediately shrink, from the season, and die. The tree continues torpid, like other dccidious trees, during- the remainder lu' HAMPSHIRE STATION. 133 the winter, and vegetates again in the spring, at tlie^iisual season. I have seen it in full leaf in the middle of summer, Avhen. it appeared, both in its form and foliage, exactly like other oaks. But the animated little forester, which my friend has assigned to my use, is at the garden- gate ; the sun smiles on the' first gentle frost, Avhich gives brilliance to the skies and brightness^ the woods ; and urges me to bid you, some* what abruptly, good morrow. Woodlands, October 9, 1 804. IN friendship, as in love, my friend, " short absence sweetens quick return ;" but, in truth, I can scarcely consider you as having been ab- sent in the excursion from which I have just returned. During the whole of the day, as objects and circumstances arose, I anticipated the pleasure I should give in thus mixing new remarks with the old, thereby throwing an air of occasional freshness and novelty over our antient correspondence. The idea pleased me ; and it is under the soothing hope, of convey- ing a similar pleasure to you, that I now resume- the pen. 134 SUPPLEMENTARY GLKANIXGS. The friend, whom I am at present visiting, held out the alUirement of a rustic fair, where numbers of the forest men, women, clfddren, and horses, were sure to assemble. But, then, said he, " Downton, tlie fair town, stands at ■a formidable distance for one who has so lately been an invalid !" The magic forest-views, \yhich I knew would beguile j)ait of the way, and the sight of so many holiday-hearted crea- tures got together, were, you may be sure, temptations for me not to be resisted. The ob- jections being thus over-ruled, my friend and I mounted our foresters : have been on the ramble' from early morn to late evening ; and, how far we have cause to be satisfied, I shall now endeavour to sheM'. Yet the pen and pencil, in this case, can do little or nothing for you, were they in far more masterly hands than mine, towards biingingjou acquainted with such parts of the forest as un- fold themselves to your view on both sides of the road, from our starting-place to the village of Brook. Much less can either of them write or paint for you the yet higher beauties that command admiration after you have passed that little town; and, least of all, can the feeble instruments above-mentioned image the scene that fdls the eye and thrills the heart, when, having gained the summit, you HAMPSHIRE STATIOX. 135 turn to survey t^ie prospect that spreads be- fore you : it comprehends what makes words wretijpied bankrupts, indeed. Nature is here the great original, of which no true copy can be made by mortal man. She alone can do justice to herself; for, in this broad and proud assemblage, she displays whatever is most rich and rare in her varied powers. The view in- eludes an extension of forest-scenery so diver- sified ; vistas so sublime ; vales so soft and fer- tile; the Southampton-River, at full tide, pour- ing so copiously the riches of the sea to the shore; the ridges of the lovely Isle of Wight rising beyond ; that, as I contemplated what I saw, I could not but exclaim, to my ac- companying friend, methinks all the objects that we have for t]ie past month been looking at, in our rides and w^alks, are here brought together with innumerable additions. It really seemed to be the concentration of every sepa- rate charm ; and, the day, though not of daz- zling brightness, giving sufficient distinctness to the remoter objects, I have no expectation of beholding the works of Nature, cultivated by the genius, industry, and labour of man, more diversified, more complete, or more ex^- quisite. You must hare often noticed, by \v]\D.t strange ftssoeiationsj one description, no way apparently 136 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS. analogous as to the thing described, becomes applicable to another. While the eye was sur- veying the above prospect, and rovirn||i,from scene to scene, the following stanza, from Ma- son's fine Elegy, on tlie Death of the beautiful Lady Coventry', presented itself, with a slight change of two or three words, to adapt them to the parody : ^' Each look, each object, waked a new-born grace. That o'er the scenes its transient glory cast ; Some lovelier wonder soon usurp'd the place, Chas'd by a charm still lovelier than the last." After casting ' ' many a longing, lingering look behind," we shut out this rich feast of vision and of the soul ; for, it is not an enjoyment of one delightful scene only, but of all, uniting the pleasures of hearing, taste, smell, and touch, with those of sight. You would have ex- perienced this, had you been, in fact, as my heart made you in fancy, a partaker of our wanderings. Your ear would have been re- galed by the harmony of Nature, when her birds, relieved from summer heats, resume their notes of autumn. You would literally have inhaled her vivifying spirit, when the zephyrs Avaft her sweet breath on their balmy pinions ; and the fragrance of her flowers, herbs, and plants, whether of her gardens, fields, or this HAMPSHIRE STATION. 137 iTicr favourite forest, would have regaled the sense she has bountifully eonstructed to receive their odours. We now took a slant direction across Fritham- Plain, the sterihty of which finely contrasted the richer scenery beliind. Indeed, it seems a sort of misnomer to call that barren, which, if it does not fatten, refreshes so many herds and Docks ; and affords even to the casual, perhaps reluctant, traveller the prospect of bold emi- nences and deep descents, such as Crow's-Nest Bottom, Stutley Head, &c. all contributory to the beauty * of a diversified landscape. However loath to quit the beauties of Brook- Hill for the comparatively desert of Fritham, we were amply rewarded in the evnt of that sacrifice. About three miles short of Down- ton, we arrive at lludbridge- Common, mid- way on which your eye is attracted by a littie nest of cots to the left, of which you only see * To be sure, if you strike more to the left, in the direction of Fordingbridgc, and follow the track, or rather the trackkss paths across the heath, till you reach the above-mentioned town, you would perceive the sterility too uniform to prove agreeable, even in the way of contrast, as you must pass near four miles of very unpleasant ground, without a single object to enliven it ; but I must not anticipate a scene, which I shall probably have to relate before I finish the sketches in this part of the country. 138 SUPPLfiMENTAllY GLEANIXGS. the thatched roofs, and these are so eiicanoped bv orchard and o-arden trees, tliat ^ou liave rather stolen glances than full views. Some discover themselves half covered by foliage, others shew only the gable end, and one or two are surrounded by verdure almost to the chimney-tops. I had been nearly exhausted by the extent of heath-ground, which, to use my beloved Gold- jimith's expressions, ever the happiest and the best, seemed " hnmeasurably spread," and 1en2:thened as I rode. I had more than once honestly confessed to my friend that I began to ilag, and that my love and admiration of Nature was more powerful in me than the strength she allowed to explore her beauties. m\i the sudden prospect of these singularly- placed cottages, which rise on your view with- out the least preparation, gave me new life ; and I willingly followed the lead of my friend, who was winding his way down the slope, that, in a few minutes, brought us to a nearer view of the spot: it increased in interest as \wc ap- proached. The knot of buildings consisted of about twenty cottages, to each of which was attached a garden and orchard ; but so abso- lutely placed in a verdant nook, out of the bus- HAMPSHIRE STATION. 139 tie of town, and even of tlie country, that no- thing but a curious and inquisitive traveller would have deemed it worth while to tuni his horse's liead or his own towards Morgan's Vale, or Bottom ; * at least, till attention was com- manded by one particular building, situated on the brow of the slope. This, my friend, joined me in pronouncing the very model of a true cottage, giving the full meaning of that modest word, and no more. It is equally dis- tinct, on the one hand, from an air of mean- ness and poverty, and, on the less pardonable one, of affected simplicity and pride abasing itself, only to be exalted, on the other. Sim- plicity seems to have been its architect, and Content its inmate : such, at least, were my ideas, on a first sight of the premises. But I am sure you feel yourself sufficiently interested to take a nearer view. Imagine yourself* then, on the green summit, where it is placed, as it ought to be, from its superior beauty, above its fellows ; yet, though it overlooks, it seems to smile on them all. Ver- dure, of different kind, and of unfailing cha- racter, encompasses it round about. Each side is covered with laurels, that flourish even to the roof; and that roof is so well thatched, that not * In forcst-languase Vales are called Bottoms. 140 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. an irregular straw deforms its inviting softness. The centre is rounded into an arch of yew, which aifords at once a porch and an alcove. The casements are of the true cottage size and con- struction : the hody of the building is of the true cottage clay, of which, however, you only see small patches, as if by stealth, through the intertwisture of the laurels, aii travers. A lit- tle garden decorates the front; a fertile slip of orchard-ground runs to some length on one side; there is a screen of mixed laurel and yew round the well, and a neatly-compacted quickset is its fence. The whole has eneb gra- dually and almost imperceptibly borrowed, or, more true to speak, purloined from the com- mon ; as, indeed, has the entire cottagery, bit by bit, insomuch, that we might fairly say,, the peasants and the proprietors, like opposed armies, have disputed and maintained their ground inch by inch ; and, when any new ter- ritory, which they added to their castles, (cot and castle are the same things in England,) has been reclaimed by one party, the other has watched his opportunity to get it back with some advantages ; till the right of possession, no longer contended for, is considered as a good, at least a sufficient title, and on such tenure enjoyed, if not admitted. But our curiosity on the outside excited ^ ^HAMPS^IRE STATION'. J41 no less degree of curiosity within. The inha- bitants of the cottage now came into the gar- den. All females, and of all ages, from the grandam to the latest born. The master of the mansion was at his labours in the forest Accept what rem.ains, in dialogue. ^ * " A very pleasant cottage you have here, my friends." " Yes, we have, Sir ; it staiids so in tJte dc- light,'' answered the mother of the group, whose name is Fonder. " Rather bleak in the winter, I should fear.'* " Cold without, and warm within ; and, "standing so in the delight," we can, in goodly weather, get peeps at folk going to Downton, and so seeing company. In wintry time we can spy them passing as we sit in the cottage. The girls here run about the plain, and down into the bottom: but, for my part, I some- times do not pass the Avicket for half a year together." "A sign of being happy at home, Mrs. Fon- der." '' A true sign, Sir, for I am. John Tonder, my husband, did all of this green work with his own hands ; and, indeed, with helping of neighbours below, now and then, made the whole cottage what you see it. Twenty-four years, and upwards, have we lived under its 143 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. thatch ; and, by giving us good seeming^ of substance, and wherewithal to get on, has got us credit, at a pinch, oftimcs. And many a day would these children have gone with next to nothing for tlieir dinner, and with n6thing altogether as to supper, but for the good- look- ings we have about us : for goodly seeming, in this way, Sir, gets trust. We croach^ to be sure, a little on the common, and put fence a little forwarder ; then every now and then 'tis pulled down : but John Fonder ups with it again, so that the people grew tired at last : the hedge stands, and thus, by little and little, we get on.'" " That's a good hearing, Mrs. Fonder ; and 1 dare say you are all of you living in a friend- ly way, in that nice nest of cottages below." *' Nothing to complain of, as to that; as neighbourly and ready to do for one another as any set of bodies any where. FaUings out, now and then, to be sure ; but soon made up again ; and that, I suppose, is the case every where, as well as in Morgans Bottom. Things go cross and wrong all the world over, and "H'hy should not we have our share." This little gossip lasted long enough to bring many of the dwellers in the valley to their several peeping places, in their orchards or gardens, to see what could be passing on tlie liilL Two stranger gentlemen pn horse- llAiTP.SIIinE STATION'. 143 1)ack, in long- parley at a cottage-gate, in such a place, is always a subject of wonderment; and, as country people, in secluded places, generally talk nnicli louder than is nccessiwy for mere hearing and umlerstanding-, scarcely any thing said at tlie threshohl of one hut i$ a secret at another. Having, therefore, roused the spirit of the little neighbourhood, and gratified our own curiosity, we left the com- fortable-looking people to go over again the subject with each other. On my return, liowcver, from the fair, my fellow-traveller met my wish more than half way, to stop as m'C passed the ])lain, at the gate of the interesting cottage. The evening sun gave a softer gloss to the laurels, and made the deep verdure of the yeM% twined round tlie casement, look less sombrous, while every pane in the windows sparkled in the western ray. The cottage-cat sat ruminating on the edge of the well; but the cottage-door, which I tried to open, was marlefast. Presently, a man of athletic form, but somewhat bent by time and labour, came from the orchard-part of the premises, and respectfully bowed as he advanced to the gate. I related the adventure of the morning, of which I found him ignorant; and he in- formed us, that his dame and family, old and young, were gone to tlie fair. We repeated 144 SUPPtEMENTARV GLEANINGS, our admiration of his cottage, and of his inge^ nuity in giving it so many attractions. It may be best again to have recourse to the colloquial style. " Yes, I did it up mostly after work-hours. Will you be pleased, gentlemen, to look within ? " ** Strong and good, master Fonder; warm and snug." ' *' Vei^y^ Sir ; and dry as a bone." " And full of comforts, I see, both above and below. A good Hampshire flitch or two, and some well-looking barrels on their sup- porters." " Yes, thank God, Sir, not amiss now. A good wife as ever a man had, and childFen likewise, and not much taxing. But I doubt I nmst let my cottage go, after all. Some hard years, — ^children growing up and who want more than they did." '' Sell your cottage ! " '' It is a little in mortgage already. I could not help it. The gentleman at the red house lent twenty pounds on it, and very kindly gave hopes I might keep it in my own hands. The miller let me have another ten. So I kept rubbing on ; but I w^as forced to go to my -friends and tell them, it did not signify try- ing, for I found I could not pay ; therefore ' Hampshire station. 145 thought I had better give up. But the miller was against this ; bid me not be down-heart- ed, but consider I had children who might, by and by, help me out, as I bad helped them, and would not hear of my selling my cottage outright. But I doubt I must, after all. I shall feel sad and strange upon it ; for I built and smartned it myself; we have all got used to it; and I can't expect, at any time, ever to get such anothen" That, thought I, you never can, poor fellow, for I do not believe there is, at all points, such another in England. I hastily put into the old man's hands the trifling fair- ings I had purchased for the younger children ; my friend gave something more worthy of his acceptance : and we left the spot with les$ cheerful feelino-s than we had sought it. Just as we were losing sight of the cottage, €Liid its connecting huts, I turned my head in- voluntarily. The evening continued lovely, beyond the power of describing its variety of charms. There was certainly nothing in the imagery of the heavens above, or of the earth below, to render the prospect less exhilarating. The parting beams of the sun were yet playing on the cottage of laurels and yew; and the sum- mits of the roofs of the delightful habitations beneath were burnished with a ray yet mor« VOL. u jt, 146 SUPPLEME^S'TARY GLEANINGS. golden; tlie surrouncling foliage partook of the tinge ; and the intermediate heath-ground was rich in those colourings which, when the most magnificent orb of heaven is about to set, paints every object so exquisitely. With all this, however, there was an intercepting heavy cloud cast between the corporeal and the men- tal eye, which made the whole scene appear the reverse of what it had been. We recrosscd . the barren part of the way with unusual speed, and in unwonted si- lence. At length, I could not help observing to my friend, that the idea of the poor wood- man's necessity to sell his little paradise abso- lutely haunted me! Yielding myself to this emotion, I exclaimed, " How many hundreds will, this very night, throw away, in one idle- ness or another, partly for want of better ob- jects being within view, more than enough to redeem that honest creature's morsel of proper- ty, — for an honest creature I find he is, — and thereby place his cottage, and all it inherits, on the most solid foundation. Nay, how many are there who, if tliey were made acquainted with the circumstances, and were convinced of the great good which might be done with a very little, would be happy to direct the streams of their bounty into so proper a chan- nel. But, I will admit that the account has an air of romance; and, therefore, many will con- HAMPS«l!l£ STATION. 14? elude that points not naturally attached to the objects have been strained into service, pur- posely to increase the interest of the narrative. Of making such events, however unductilc, bend to the purpose predetermined on, certaiil readers are too apt to accuse authors; and no- thing is more common than to discredit Avhat we are resolved to think exao-o-erated. In what a variety of instances could I exemplify this opinion, and prove its fallacy. But, keeping to the objects just delineated, I have a stronget motive than my own justificatioti for wishing such as are going into this tract of country to make a visit to John Fonder and his family; and if they find him and his, as they undoubtedly ■will do, what I have painted them, O what a soul-exhilarating opportunity will they have to SAVE the labourer and all his little household, by appropriating to his redemption half the sum a man of fortune gives for a horse, or a woman of fashion for a trinket. And if, on the contrary, they do 7iot find the people, Whose cause I advocate, deserving rescue, — deserving a prop to the falling cottage, they will, at any rate, be gratified by seeing a most exquisite groupe of the best and sweetest objects nature has to produce ; and, inasmuch as the facts fall short of the description, will have sufficient reason to accuse the describer. l2 143 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. The truth is, and there is no help for it, travellers will not give themselves the time or the trouble necessary to hear as well as to see. They will not go from the broad high-way ^ nor stop, in general, at any gate but that of the turnpike or the inn. They revolt from the lowly idea of passing an hour in a cottage, a week in a village, or a month in a town, unless fashion, frolic, or fortune, with the trains ap- propriate to each, allure them thither. Hence, a thousand generous hearts want some of the most exciting and interesting objects ; and lience, also, more than as many aching hearts, which might be relieved or gladdened, remain in the nooks, alleys, and other by-places of the world unobserved. Hence, likewise, loud complainers in the streets, or haggard beggars along the hedges, because more obvious and most importunate, are foremost on the canvass, while the misery that is modest and retired, and hid in a hut, and must be sought to be foundj is thrown into shadow. Gentle reader, if thou hast a ^ch heart and art favoured by fortune, how do I wish thou wouldst put mo- ney in thy purse, and deign to follow the map of the Gleaner to Morgan's Bottom, and di- vers other places, within the geography of the affections; and of the chart which lie ha* drawn for thy feelings. Hampshire station. 149" Woodlands, Oct. 12, 1804, A general motto to the scenery of this exquisite forest and of its appendages might be taken from the writer,* who has paid it the most ample tribute; and perhaps the following passage would be considered as the happiest selection. *' Its wood-scenes, its extended lawns, and vast sweeps of wild country, unlimited by arti- ficial boundaries, together with its river- views and distant coasts, are all, in a great degree, magnificent. It must still, however, be remem- bered, that its chief characteinstic, and what jt rests on for distiction, is not sublimity but sylvan beauty.'^ That beauty it certainly possesses beyond all comparison ; and, it is beauty so diversified, that the charm of constant novelty prevents the possibility of your being fatigued with ad-- miration. Scarcely have you felt delight in viewing the objects appropriate to one path, before others command your notice and your homage ; and, while you are fancying nothing of sylvan grace can surpass the scene you are ♦ Gilpin, \t 150 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEANINGS. surveying, a series of other unexpected openings lure you to new beauties, and in a few paces you will find your eye betrayed from these to others yet more lovely. Not the least chaim of the New Forest is the variety of what, in village language, is called a green, or circular slip and patch of verdure, surrounded by cottages, farms, &c. where geese, poultry, and other domestic fowl, delight to feed, repose, or Meander. Of these greens, there are not less than a hundred, each richly girt and defended by the forest, forming as many little sylvan neighbourhoods, yet each wholly independent of the other. In the church-yard of Brockenhurst, Mr. Warner mentions an oak two-and-twentv feet in girth, and a majestic yew-tree: both of >vhich I recognise as venerable friends. On the latter, the axe has committed sad depreda- tions. It has been despoiled of five or six huge branches, since my first acquaintance; and Mr. Warner joins my regret at this, as taking greatly from its antient dignity : still, how- ever, it is a noble tree, measuring in girth :fifteen feet, and in height upwards of sixty. I think, Ayith him, it might lay claim to an antiquity nearly equal to its venerable neigh- bour. I was surprised to. find, that neither Gilpin HAMPSHIRE STATION. 151 or Warner had noticed tlic uncommon pic- turesque appearance of the chancel and of the church, most beautifully ivied from the bottom to the roof, including the gothic windows- and antique Httle door, right-venerably knobbed with nail- work, and the wood well greyed with age. The top of the yew appears now to be intirely dead ; the branches still vigorous. The oak is quite hollow ; but one of its mighty arms clasps the yew, as if in good and antient fellowship, and conscious of having grown old and going into decay together. The New Forest, and Brockenhurst in parti- cular, as we learn, from its name, being formerly so famous for the production of yews, it might be a matter of wonder, that so few remained to the present day, did we not recollect that the old EngUsh yeomanry were supplied from this tree with those excellent bows, which ren- dered them the best and most dreaded archers in Europe. This constant and universal de- mand for yew, produced, in time, such a scar- city, that recourse was had to foreign coun- tries for a supply, and the importation of them was enjoined, by express act of parliament, for that purpose.* I am just informed of another oak, of enor- ' Stat. Ed. IV. c. 2.— Rich. HI. c. 11. 153 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. mous vegetation, belonging to a friend of mine, in the parish of Mottesfont ; but, perhaps, the most singular tree in the whole forest is the groaning one, which is so extraordinary a plie- nomenon, that I am really happy to have the attestation of Mr. Gilpin, confirmatory of the remarks of several forest-friends. It stands in Badesly, a village about two miles from Lym- ington, and its history is this : About forty years ago, a cottager, who lived near the centre of the village, heard frequently a strange noise behind his house like that of a person in extreme agony. Soon after, it caught the attention of his wife, who M^as then con^ £ned to her bed : she was a timorous woman, and, being greatly alarmed, her husband endea* voured to persuade her that the noise she heard was only the bellowing of the stags in the fo- rest. By degrees, however, the neighbours on all sides heard it, and the thing began to be much talked of. It was by this time plainly discovered, that the groaning noise proceeded from an elm that grew at the end of the gar- den : it was a young vigorous tree, and, to all appearance, perfectly sound. In a ?tw weeks, the fame of the groaning-tree was spread far and wide, and people from all parts flocked to hear it : among others, it at- tracted the curiosity of the late Prince and HAMPSHIRE STATION, 153 Princess of "Wales, who resided at that time, for tlie advantage of a sea- bath, at Pile well, the scat of Sir James Worsley, which stood Avitliin a quaiter of a mile of the groaning- tree. Thongh the country people assigned many su- perstitious causes for this strange phenomenon, the naturalist could assign no pliysicai one that was, in any degree, satisfactory. Some thought it M'as owing to the twisting and friction of the roots; others, that it proceeded from wa- ter, which had collected in the body of the tree, or perhaps from pent air; but no cause that was alleged appeared equal to the effect. In the mean time, the tree did not always groan : sometimes it disappointed its visitants ; yet no cause could be assigned for its tempo- rary cessations either from seasons or Aveather. If any difference was observed, it was thought to groan least when the weather was wet, and most when it was clear and frost}^,- but the sound at all times seemed to arise from the root. Thus, the groaning- tree continued an object of astonishment, during the space of eighteen or twenty months, to all the country around ; and, for the information of distant parts, a pamphlet was drawn up, containing a particu- lar account of all the circumstances relating to it. At length, the owner of it, a gentleman 1,54 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANIKGS. of the name of Forbes, making too rash an experiment to discover the cause, bored a hole in its trunk. After this it never groaned ; but was rooted up, with a farther view to make a discovery : still nothing appeared, which led to any investigation of the cause. It was uni- vereally believed, howcvTr, that there was no sort of trick in the affair, but that some natural cause really existed, though never understood. Adjoining to Brockenhurst-church, within a park, stands the seat of Mr. Morant : the views from which are numerous, owing to ths undu- Lations of the surrounding grounds, Avhich are all in the richest style of wood-scenery. Within the same park is included Watcombe. It was a few years ago inhabited, as Mr. ^yar- iier justly expresses it, by a character that does honour to human nature, namely, the philan- thropist, John Hoxvard, who purchased it, in 1759, of a Captain Blake. Situated, however, rather low, with a piece of water in front, and woods on every side, he found the exhalations and vapours, incidental to such a situation, ra- ther unfavourable to those astronomical obser- vations in which he extremely delighted. Af- ter a residence of only three years, he quitted it, to the great regret of numerous distressed families, which had been the constant objects of his benevolence. HAMPSHIRE STATION. 155 One might have hopjcd, observes Mr. Warner, that a gentleman of Mr. Howard's exalted cha- racter, who devoted his time, exhausted his health, employed his fortune, and, at length, lout his life, in the practice of universal and disinterested philantnropy, would have left a name behind him, at which malignity itself durst not have aimed a dart. But, alas ! excellence is always obnoxious, and that levelling principle of profligacy, which ■fishes to reduce all to its own miserable stand- ard ; and, as it cannot rise to admiration it- self, endeavours to prevent others from attain- ing it, would not suffer even Howard to escape its notice. Calumny has endeavoured to stain, with the foul aspersions of parental unkindness, harsh pride, and ostentatious vanity, a character which, seems to have approached as near to perfection as human frailty will permit. It is not, however, by dark attempts of this nature, that the firm fabric of John Howard's virtues can be overthrown or shaken. *^ The actions of the just. Smell sweet and blossom in the dust !" And whatever might be his personal peculiarir 156 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIN^GS. ties, the good deeds * of this excellent man will render his memory sacred as long as the admiration of exalted virtue shall exist, or the practice of unUmited benevolence be held iu veneration. Mr. Warner expresses a generous happiness on bearing testimony to the excellence of this gentleman, by addhig the following particulars respecting him, which were given by an old man who had rented a little farm of Mr. IIow« ard, during his residence in Hampshire. Thg recital, he assures us, was not made without tears, and he closed it with this emphatic re- mark, " Ah ! Sir, Mr. Howard did not remain long with us ; such goodness as his was too great to be confined within the narrow limits of Ijrockenhurst-parish." ■■ One of the first acts of that good man, on set> tling at Brockenhurst, was to make a tour through his parish, and visit, in person, the nu- merous needy families it contained. To each of these he gave immediate pecuniary relief, comfortable clothing, a Bible^ a Common Prayer Book, and a Whole Duty of Man ; do- nations which he repeated as often as their ne- cessity required them. * Permit me to re-direct your attention to Letter 15th. vol. i. Gleanings in Wales. Hampshire statiox. 157 M^hen it became necessary for him to retire from Watcombe, he strove to render liis loss less severely and immediately felt by doubling tliQ gratuity he usually bestowed. After his de- parture, he frequently remitted to the poor iu" habitants of Brockenhurst money and clothes ; and, when he was at Portsmouth, preparing to sail on the last voyage which Providence per* mitted him to make, his servant was dispatched "with a considerable sum of money to distribute among the former dependants on his bounty. In my late visit to Brockenhurst, with my forest friend, we had both of us the satisfaction to hear the above account confirmed by an aged man, whom we encountered on the road, and who personally knew Mr. Howard. But he informed us that Watcond)e House is now a ruin. No matter ; the fame of its late inha- bitant shall equally defy the mouldering power of time, and the premature violence of man ; and the traveller would survey the very (lust of Watcombe-ruins with more pleasure than Brockenhurst House, were not tlie posses- sor of the latter mansion a good mam Brockenhurst; and Boldre church-yards have a strange mixture of good and bad effusions of the uncultured muse. In these examples of pa- rochial poetry, sense and grammar, it has already been observed, are frequently so unnaturally 158 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. perverted that one can scarcely forbear think- ing the deviations from them are designed. It is pity, indeed, that .these senseless jumbles, which only serve to excite improper ridicule, were not altogether disused. Mr. Warner very properly expresses a wish, wherein I heartily concur, either that appropriate texts of Scrip- ture, or such simple and instructive hues as the following might be adopted in their room. On a neat head-stone are these words : % Here lieth The Body of Giles Clarke, who passed Quietly, Inoffensively, and Piously, Through the Space Of 80 Years, From his Craddle to his Grave, which received him On the 3d JMay, 1783- That his good Example Might not be forgotten, A Friend to his Memory Placed this Upon his Tomb. " HAMPSHIRE STATION. 139 On anotlicr stone is the following inscription: Here Rests from his Labour, William Baker, Mliose Industry and Frugalit\', Whose Honesty and Piety, Were long an Example To this Parish. He was born in 1710, And Died in 1791. These simple, but expressive epitaphs are taken from the church-yard of Boldrc. St. Mary's,* Southampton, furnishes the two which follow: To perpetuate the memory of Mary Dyatt, who died the 7th of March, 1781, aged 77 years; I and is here interred ; having spent the last 60 vears of a most Christian life with exem- plary diligence, fidelity, and affection; in the constant service of the family of Cap- tain Isaac Vignoles ; by whose daughter, Mrs. Mary Vignoles, this stone is inscribed, in testimony of her esteem and gratitude to- wards so rare a pattern of domestic Worth. Sec page 18 of the present volume. 160 SUPPLEMENTARY GiEAXINGS. In memory of Richard Laurence, wlia, aft^i* living 60 years in the family of the Bernards, departed this life February the 12th, 1795, aged 74. His humble demeanour, his affec- tionate fidelity, and persevering dihgence in his station, are best attested by the fact re- lated above. His surviving Master, William Bernard, raises this stone as a memorial of so uncommon an instance of private excel- lence. A gentleman of the Bernard family, now re- sideptin Southampton, in addition to the above monumental tribute, informs me, that, although Laurences wages were small, he never suggested a wish, during the Avhole 60 years, for any in- crease; yet, in course of that time, saved a very considerable sum, which he divided amongst his relatives : and had likewise in contempla- tion to endow a school for the education of boys ; but death intervened. Congenial to these is one which was marked in my note-book so long ago as when I was on my Norfolk rambles. To the memory of Tamar Nevil, a faithful honest servant and housekeeper 27 years iii HAMPSHIItE STATION. l6l ONE PLACE. She died 20th October, 1782, aged 60.* The subsequent one^ in Verse, I haVe just pen- ciled from its stone, in Brockenhurst. It is ten- der and interesting ; in memory of Miss Eliza- beth Cary. Died 1794, aged 21. While health sat blooming on Eliza's face. And ev'ry feature shone with youthful grace ; While the fond parent future fame foretold. And saw with joy her faculties unfold ; Saw, through her lovely form, a polish'd mind, A gentle temper, and a taste refined. Short was the joy, for at high heav'n's behest. She ceas'd from blessing, that she might be blest. Like some fair flow'r, when an untimely storm Rifles its sweetness, and destroys its form. Then let no tear this early grave bedew. The hovering spirit's anguish to renew. Now mark, by way of contrast, the reverse of this. Village poets mix the grave and * In a cliurch-yard at Lynn. ^Vhat a rare domestic moral is suggested to persons of humble worth in the words, twenty- seven years in one place. It is singular that my gleanings of these silent repositories should have been productive of so many examples of honest servitude. . VOL. I. M 162' gUPPLEMENTARY OtE^NIKGS. the gay in such equal proportiqiis that the mind is often equipoised between grief and joy. In a late excursion into the country, savs a medi- tator amongst the tombs, I was very much amused in my visits to the church-yards. I really think, that if the force of humour conti- nues to he exerted, a church-3'ard will deserve to be ranked among our places of public amuse- ment. The following selection will justify this observation* LIXSTED, KENT. On Jmnes Ferguson, Merchant Adventure?. Infancy, youth, and age, are, from the womb, Man's short but dang'rous passage to the tomb. Here landed, (the proceed of what we ventured,} In Nature's custom-Iiouse this dust is entered. Alms-deeds are surest bills at sight, (the rest On heav'n's exchange, are subject to protest.) This uncorrupted manna of the just To lasting store, exempt froin worms and dusf. ELTHAM, KENT. I am only gone a little while before. Prepare, prepare to follow rae, tlierefortr^ HAMPSHIRE STATION. \6$ TONG, KENT. t)car soul ! she suddenly was snatched away. And turned into cold and lifeless clay ; She was a loving mother and a virtuous wife ; Faithful and just in every part of life. We here on earth do fade as do the flowers. Now mark what follows, •Slie was alive, and well, and dead, within three hours. FOOT S CRAY, KENT* Tlie 18th August I was at Foot's Cray> To see for an epitaph, I can truly say ; But, as I found none, I went merrily on. And to St. Mary Cray I am certainly gone; ST. PETERS, CANTERBURY; Touch not the grave, my bones, nor yet the dust^, But let this stone, which stands, be rotten Jint. Egliam church-yard furnishes the follow- ing, which I penciled from their respective ^V2i\t-boards. Anrij wife of John Starke, aged 60, As Death was pleased to have his mil of me, I am in hopes my Saviour for to see. M 2 I64f SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. IBID. In Memory of the Snellings, Man and Wife. In this cold bed, here consummated are The second nuptials of a happy pair. Whom envious Death once parted, but in vain. For now himself has made them one again ; Here wedded in the grave, and, 'tis but just. That they that were o//e ^fsA should be one dust. IBID. To JVilliam Tensy, Son and Daughter. You young and old, that passeth by. Think upon us, and prepare to die, IBID. Henry Thurston. I care not ! my soul, be not dismayed. For Jesus C. thy debt has paid. The debt / paid, it was to Nature due ; I died and paid, and so must you. In the church-yard of Harbome,* near Bir- mingham. * This village will receive particular notice, when we come to the Warwickshire Statioii. HAMPSHIRE STATION. \63 Inscribed to the memory of Thomas Birck who departed tliis life 10th of March, 1795, aged 73 years. Aha-'JSarah, wife of Thomas Birchy M'ho departed this life 6th of Novem- ber, 1801, aged 73 years. A good husband and father loo. Such a one as the world scarce ever knew. What God to Adam did testify. He was resolved his children should come nigh; Tor pride and pleasure he did not allow. But niacle them get their bread by the sweat of their brow ; A good wif<^ and mother^ and neighbour too. Such a one as the world scarce ever knew. Agreeabler couple could not be. Whatever pleased he, always pleased she ; Every thing that a good wife and mother, fpd neighbour should be. IBID. Inscribed to' the memory of George Birch, who departed this life 21st of February, 1796, aired 85 vears. 'O' When in affliction he did lie, God did his affliction sanctify ; For as we were told, lor he zcas bom again after he zcas old. 166 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANIIS'GS. OCKHAM CHURCH-YARD, SURREY. On John Spong, a JQbi)ing carpenter oiP that parish, who died in 173^., Who many a sturdy oak had laid along, Fell'd by Death's surer hatchet here lies Spong. Posts oft he made, yet ne'er a place could get. And liv'd by railing, though he was no wit : Old saws he had, although no antiquarian. And stiles corrected, yet was no grammarian : Long liv'd he Ockham's premier architect. And lasting as his fame a tomb t' erect. In vain we seek an artist such as he. Whose pales and gates were for eternity : Here doth he rest from all life's cai!«|.and follies, O spare, kind heaven, his fellow-labourer Hollis. This, by Captain Morris, being of «t"orreiner. An example of this HAMPSHIRE STATION. 197 is demonstrable in tlie Friendly Society,* which is founded equally in wisdom and benevolence. * It was instituted, at this place,* the 1st of January, 1797, under the patronage of the Earl of Shaftesbury, and is open to the inhabitants of this and .yarn other adjoining parishes, principally belonging to his Lordship. i\Iembers arc admissible under the age of forty-five. Common members now pay,, on admission, 10s. 6d. but at first only 2s. 6d. and 13*. annually, in monthly payments : Is. every four weeks. Allowance, in sickness, is 6s. per week. On the death of a member, 3/. is allowed to defray the fu- neral expenses ; and, if a married man, 5l. for his widow or' children. Honorary members arc admitted, on paying not less than 1/. Is. on admission, and not less than ll. Is. each, annually. Such members to receive no benefit from the Society, The Society walk, in procession, to St. Giles's duitjci, yearly, on Whit-monday, and afterwards dine together f^o^ wards the expense of which Is. (id. is allowed, out of the stock of the Society, for every common member who attends. The honorary members pay 2*. 6d. each, for their own expenses, at such meeting. The affairs of the Society are managed by a committee, selected from the honorary, members, and stew- ards appointed for each district or parish; and the monthly payments are made, by the common members, at tl»e house of such steward, which prevents their meeting and spendinjj money at public houses. The committee and stewards meet quarterly, at the inn, in ♦ Wkiborn St. Giles's. 19S SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. An authentic sketch of it cannot he unacccpt- ahle. Winborn St. Giles's; and the expenses of such meeting, which docs not exceed Is. for each person, is allowed c,ut of tho chest. iSIcmbers are subject to expulsion for not making good their monthly payments. Common members consist of one hundred and sixty par- Sons, whose monthly payments amount to 104/. per annum. The annual donations and subscriptions, from honorary members amount to betwixt 90^. and 100/. per annum. Tiie funded stock of the Society amounts (in the year 1 804) to about 1800/. 3 per Cent. Consols; the dividends of which arc 5-i/. per annum. The Society have in contemplation to allow the common menjbers, who regularly make their monthly payments, on arr riving at tlic age of sixty, such weekly allowance as, ajta- due eOnsiderafion, the funds of the Society shall be deemed able to support; and which is proposed to be increased at sixty-five, and still farther augmented at seventy. It is to be observed, that this Society has a considerable ad- vantage over Friendly Societies in general, from the annual Amount of the donations and honorary subscriptions, it being patroaized and supported by the noble house of Shaftesbury, gentry, clcrg)-, farmprs, and respectable, inhabitants of the ^ieveral parishes, as may be seen by referring to the printed rules, which ]Mr. Park has in his possession. At the annual dinner of this Society, the Rpv. the Dean of pxetcr (rector of this parish) presides, as president; and ^hc Karl of Shaftesbury, when in England, always honoured the meeting with his company at dinner, walking at the head of the procebsign. The Countess also constantly condescended HAMPSHIRE STATION- 199 The anniversary procession was the greatest and proudest day of the year to the illus- to attend, and direct the arrangements for the cptertainnient, Sic. &c. All the clergy, who are honorary members, usually attend, and preach, alteriratcly, on the occa»ioJf my collection. 204 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXINGS. hawkcs, long and short winged. He had all sorts of nets for fish. He had a walk in the New Forest, and the manor of Christchurch ; this last supplied him with red deer, sea and liver fish; and, indeed, as his neighbours grounds and ro} alties were free to him, wlio bestowed all his time on these sports, but what he borrwcd to caress his neighbours wives and daughters, there being not a woman in all his walks, of the degree of a yeoman's wife or un- der, and under the age of forty, but it was her own fault if he was not intimately acquainted with her. This made him very popular, always speaking very kindly to the husband, brother, or father, who was, to boot, very welcome to his house. Whenever he came thei-e, he found beef, pudding, and small beer, in great plenty. The house not so neatly kept as to shame him or 'his dirty shoes : the great hall strewed with marrow-bones, full of hawkes, percher-hounds, spaniels, and terriers ; the upper side of the hall hung with fox skins of this and the last year's killing ; here and there a pole-cat intermixed ; game-keepers and hunters poles in great abun- dance. The parlour wa;s a large room, as pro- perly furnished : on a great hearth, paved with brick, lay some terriers, and the choicest hounds and spaniels. Seldom but two or three chairs had litters of cats in them, which were HAMPSHIRE STATION'. COS not to be disturbed, he having ahv^ays three or four attending him at dinner, and a little white stick, of fourteen inches long, lying by his trencher, that he might defend such meat, that he had no mind to part with, from them. The windows, which were very large, served for places to lay his arrows, cross-bows, and stone- bows, and such like accoutrements ; the corner of the room full of the best chosen hunting or hawking poles : his oister table at the lower end, which was of constant use twice a day, ail the year round, for he never failed to eat oistcrs, both diiwier and supper time, all sea- sons ; the neighbouring town of Poole supplied him with them. The upper part of the room had two small tables and a desk, on the one side of which was a Church Bible, and on the other side the Book of Martyrs. On the tables were hawkes hoods, belLs, and such like; two or three old hats, with their crowns thrust in, so as to hold ten or a dozen eggs, which were of the pheasant kind of poultry ; these he took much care of, and fed himself Tables, dice, cards, and boxes were not wanting. In the ^lole of the desk were store of tobacco pipes that had been used. On one side of this end of the room was the door of a closet, wherein stood the strong beer and the wine, which nc- 205 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANIXGS. ver came from thence but in single glasses, that being the rule of the house, exactfy observed> for he never exceeded in drink, or permitted it. On the other side was the door of an old chapel, not used for devotion : the pulpit,''^' as the safest place, was never wanting of a cold chine of beef, venison pasty, gammon of ba* con, or great apple pye, Avith thick crust, ex- tremely baked. His table cost him not much, though it was good to eat at. His sports sup* plie<:l all but beef and mutton, except Fridays, when he had the best of salt fish, as well as other fish he could get, and this was the day his neighbours of best quality visited him. He never wanted a London pudding, and always sung it in with his own ditty. He drank a glass or two of wine at meals ; very often put syrup of geilyfiowers in his sack, and had always a glass without feet stood by him, holding a pint of small beer, which he often stirred w'ith rosemary. He was well- natured, but, soon angry; calling his servants bastards, and cuckoldry knaves, in one of which he often spoke the truth, to his own k:nowledge, and sometiines in both, though of * This pulpit is still in good preservat.ion, and prayers as before ; Lord Shaftesbury allowing the curate a salary far offici-. atin2. Hampshire stations siort (he same man. lie lived to be a hundred,* and never lost his eye-sight, but always wrote and read without spectacles, and got on horse- back without help: until past fourscore he rode to the death of a stag without help. The character of this humorous being f is supposed to be drawn by Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, who was Itrs- neighbour. But now for a living character, no less sin- gular in his way, and immediately connected with the scenery before us. Amongst the unex- pected satisfactions for a Gleaner, at Bouve- * AH our Peerages are mistaken, it scorns, about this -extra- ordinary man, whom they make a Knight. Jacob gives him a second wife, Mrs. Jane I^n^ton, who is mentioned by Dugdalc. For the belfry of the old church of Ilorton was an aisle bclonu;- ing to tlie family of the Hastings, where Mr. Hastings was buried, and where was a monument containing the following ej)itaph : ' The Honourable Henry Hastings, of Woodlands, - Second Son to George Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon Departed this Life Th6 5th of October, 160O, x-tatis 99. * A person (Mr. Capper) no loss singular, and, i"iulced, in some of his features more extraordinary, has very recently left the world, of wjiich he was one of its most origimil creature?. His character, however, has been recently given, in so mauv forms of publication, that its recital here might be deemed a needless repetition. 208 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. ridge-farm, wsls one of the most original per- sonages that the British empire, full as it is of character, has to shew. Let me introduce you to a spacious farm- house-kitchen, a fire-place extending to the whole breadth of an ample room — some of the well-seasoned oaks of the forest converted into tables ; flooring of the same — large deep and enviable recesses on each side of the chimney, forming seats for such as defy the high-piled fagots flaming about them — Hampshire flitches, rivalling those of Westphalia, mellowing in the wood-smok^ below, loading the racks above, or depending in tempting rows from the ceil- ing. The business of the rural day over, be- hold the ruddy country damsels enjoying the cheerful blaze ; and tlie yet more exhilarating tale of a kitchen-guest recently arrived, and snugly nitched in one of the chimney retreats, ahvays a post of distinction and hospitalit}'. Imagine you see the personage thus honoured by the queens of the kitchen : accept him, just as I drew him, at the instant that I was called from a parlour full of visitors. Athletic form, strong, but interesting features, deep-brown hair, few, if any, of them grey, though in his seventy-third year; coat of the ttue sporting • green, red collar, great-coat of the same, with triple cape of scarlet, sleeves of the same, lea- HAMPSHIRE STATION. 209 them s^aiters, blue'hatidkerchief, tied in a twist round his neck ; the whole somewhat in decay, yet venerable and interesting, from the charac- ter, age, and office, of the wearer. Let me place a large jug of Hampshire home-brewed in his hand, often lifted to his lips, and try to give you a smile, that indicates at once a gaiety of heart, assisted by a state of head too light for care, and yet not too much elevated, by drinking deep, to wash away all social distinc- tions; just enough in good spirits to drive away melancholy, without fermenting into madness. Put these several circumstances together, and you will have a pretty just idea of the externals of an • old sportsman, who has a cottage in Cranbourn-chase, and has served under the lords of Rushmore * upwards of sixty out of the seventy-three years of his life. For the character of his mind and manners, I must give you some of his conversation, which I will in his own words, since none other can so well describe them : now, then, let him speak for himself. A parlour-guest is always, more or less, an intruder in the kitchen, and generally throws a gloomy air over the unlaboured gaiety ^nd ease of the place. The ceremony of rising * Earl Rivers. VOL. X. p f 10 SUPi*LEMEXTARY GLEANINGS. and bowing, may, however, be soon done away, by a little accommodation ; and the parlour and kitchen, upon occasions hke the present, become sociable. This veteran game-keeper, for such was his calling, besides being of plea- sant disposition, was animated beyond the point of ceremony, by the exhilarating ale of Dorset ; and, therefore, after a Respectful bend of his not unmajestic figure, he resumed both his seat and his history. I broke the thread of his narrative, just as he was relating his suc- cessful courtship to two of his wives, with one of whom he swore, by all the wood-nymphs of Cranbourn- chase, that he was as happy as the days were long, for upwards of four-and- twenty years ; and, when he lost her, he resolved never to enter into the holy state, because he thought his glo7'y was over. Glory, you are to know, was a cant word, and brought into almost every sentence. But, said he, " I thought I should never find such another woman, till one day, going into my lord's kitchen, I liked the eyes of the cook, and told her so ; but it was not till some time after, when I made her a present of a couple of rabbits of my own killing, and said something as I gave them to her, that she looked as if she liked me. G/ory, however, was the word : she was a little body, and I dandled her about upon this arm ; and HAMPSHIRE STATION. Sit liad her before the parson in less than three weeks ; wliich is now thirteen years, missing a few days, and slie has been my glory ever since. She is alive and merry, thank God, at this time, in Rushmore- cottage, where, if you please, you may see her to-morrow, and so, my glory, here's your health." But though we have thus doubly wedded him, the man is incomplete without his dog. What is a huntsman without his hound ? Your par- don, honest Bouncer, I should have placed you at your masters side, where I first saw you stand to receive his frequent caresses, and look- ing into his face, as if listening to his dis- course ; I .should then have laid thee gently at his feet, where I beheld thee repose, while he went on Avith his glories. Bouncer, here, Sir, continued the sports- man, after he had emptied the jug to the health of his second nuptial glory, Bouncer, here, knows I speak nothing but truth, and loves my dame as well as I do; and he would be an ungrateful dog if he did not. He's now hunt" i"gj you hear, in his sleep. But, sleeping or waking, Cramborn-chase never boasted a bet- ter stag-dog than he. See how his coat is scarred ; — he's all over buts and bruises, from his nose to the tip of his tail. Lookee, Sir, there's scratches and tearings — but he's all p 2 212 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. glorify nevertheless, and will stand at a stag now, single-handed, till he sees the end of him — Wont you, Bouncer, boy ? At this question, the querist, who had been increasing in glory, at every potation from a fresh supply of the jug, which one of the kitchen goddesses had replenished, rose, but without quitting his can, and gave the view- hollow; at which Bouncer, superior to sleep, age, and scars, leaped up, and soon came in for his full share of the glory. He gave his voice, deep, sonorous, and musical — To- hoo, to-hoo, to-hoo, — hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo ! exclaimed the huntsman. The hound respond- ed in correspondent notes of triumph and joy. ** There's my glory,"" quoth the huntsman; *' thee art a good one as ever gave tongue in a wood. D- n me, with half a score like thee, I can still heave my dogs over the moun- tains, and almost over the moon, with a cheerly chirup ! " By this time the veteran had worked up his spirit beyond the power of the pen to follow his elevations ; but he was a most rich and rare subject for the pencil, and Bouncer was second in command. Had a lover of men and dogs, aStubbs or a Gilpin,* been as near this * The painter. HAMPSHIRE STATION. 21S congenial pair as I was, at tliis moment, how happily would the liound and huntsman have been exhibited to your view. But, had you been yourself present, you would have seen a couple of old creatures at the supreme point of tljeir possible happiness. You know the influence and sympathy of jovial sounds, whether of man or beast. They excite our sympathy, even before we know the cause, or see the objects that produced them. The hilarity of the kitchen emptied the parlour; four by honours and the odd trick were thrown up for a simple son of the woods and his four-footed companion. How shall I procure you even a faint idea of the glee, looks, tones, and action of this sylvan pair. Invoke your fancy as an auxiliary. Think that you see this majestic human ruin rise, as it were, like a phoenix, out of the ashes of age ; imagine that you behold the fires of youth rekindled and blazing afresh. In tills bright flash of the sportsman's renova- tion suppose you behold him leading on his hounds; his arms expanded, his eyes anima- ting, his voice enlarged, his cheeks glowing with unwonted crimson, and taking the whole sweep of the kitchen at huge strides; eager, ardent, and empassioned, as if he was really in .the heat of the chase. Think, at the same 214 SUPPLEME\^TARY GLEANINGS. time, that you hear him, with still uncracked lungs, spirit up his pack, caihng every one hy name; " famous good Bouncer," as lie called him, amongst the rest. Then listen to his inter- mixture of prose and verse; no words c^;?; paint the almost delirium of ecstacy with which he sung or rather ru7ig out the following chorus of a hunting song. "And he gave the view- hollow, talliho was the word ; and the dog lick- ed his lips, — taUiho ! " He then hlended his- tories of the wife whom he dandled and dolled^ as he said, on his arm, his horse Maggot, and his hound Bouncer, vehemently protesting they were all three the glory of glories ! He next changed his note to something of a softer kind, and gave the subsequent unmeasured lines, after hehad resumed liis seatof honour in the chimney- corner: " Ami tnis, Sirs,' said he, " is my song of songs, which I always sung when I went a suifering." The life of a sportsman is free from all care. Whene'er he makes merry with love and strong beer; With his pipe and his friend laughs his hours away,~^ And sings, talks, and drinks, till he hails in the new^ day, { And then to the hill and the dale — hark away ! J The stag-hound caught his master's enthu- siasm, and the blissful notes of both the vetc- HAMPSHIRE STATION. 215 rans kept up tlie social pleasure, till it was too late to return to the card-room. Thus the vota- ries of Pan may be said to have triumphed over Pam and all the kings and queens. At length, his songs and his histories being ended, his tenth or twelfth jug emptied, his head fill- ed, his heart hght, and his felicity too perfect to think of danger or darkness, he went forth for his cottage, in Cranborn- chase ; and Boun- cer, his dog, not less happy, though more sober, than his master, followed him. It was a merry old man's glory^ on -a jubilee night, and, to hearts like yours, it is worth a record. I must not forget to inform you, to the ho- nour of his present lord, that he is continu- ed in office, as deer-keeper, because he should seem to earn his living from his antient em- ployment, although the Earl has long since entered him on his list of pensioners. Nei- ther must I withhold from you another piece of information, — 'viz. that his name is George Hill ; of course, bringing to memory, my dear and honest John of that name. What a compa- nion is George for the merry sportsman John Grounds, * whose portrait I drew for you on a former occasion. * An account of both these innocent men will be found in the sixth volume of " Gleanings : " and the latter, in his raole-catch- ing dress and character, has lately been pourUayed in colours 216 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. The little church of St. Giles is an object of con- siderable attraction, and is situated on the north side of the parish, near the seat of Lord Shaftes bury, whose family burial-place it is. There are several elegant monuments of the family. Those of the fourth Earl, and that of the no- ble author of the Characteristics, are eminent- ly beautiful ; I shall therefore subjoin them. On the south side of the chancel is an elegant mural monument of beautiful marble, exqui- sitely executed, by Schumaker, representing a sarcophagus, under which is the following- admirable inscription : Mary, Countess of Shaftesbury, In testimony of her most tender and indissolu- ble regard to The much loved memory of her affectionate husband, Anthony Ashley Cooper, fourth Earl of Shaftesbury ; Who, from a consistency of virtuous conduct, in public and private. Had as many friends and as few enemies as ever fell to the lot of man : Having hved in honour, he died in peace ; the result of a hfe well-spent, And of hope grounded on the redeeming mercy of that adorable, all perfect Being, that will not fade, on the canvass of the plder Barker, who has just finished an admirable picture of Grounds and his fa- mily, in their cottage on tlic moor. HAMPSHIRE STATION. 217 Of whose glory he was zealous, to whose creatures he was kind, whose will was his study, and whose service his delight. Having received and diffused happiness, he departed this life, Amidst the prayers of the rich and poor, May the 27, 1771, aged 61 : His works follow him. On each side of the monument are two boys, — one holding a torch inverted, the other a crown of glory, and looking up to a bust of the late Earl of Shaftesbury, placed over the sarcophagus. The inscription under the statue, in St. Giles's church, representing the third Earl of Shaftes- bury, author of the Characteristics, is as fol- lows : Polite Literature, In the person of a muse, laments the death of her most distinguished votary, The Right Honourable Anthony Ashley Cooper, ' third Earl of Shaftesbury ; He was born February 26, 1670, and died February 14, 1712, The scenery which surrounds St. Giles's, in a return to Cranborn, by the villages to the right, iii truly pleasant. To myself and friend 518 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS. it was rendered more interesting by our having fortunately explored the haunt of a family of well-known Trampers, who have led an itine- rant sylvan life for the last twenty-six years; during which time they have never boarded or bedded in a house but once ; and then by way of an experiment, which faikcl.- But the most extraordinary circumstance is, that this is wholly from choice, not necessity of any kind. They have accumulated much property, by the sale of Staffordshire wares, with which they traverse Hampshire, Somer- set, Dorset, and various other places. They have, moreover, several houses of their own, which they let ; and in the vicinity of which, in their several rounds, they feed and repose, within groves, woods, or under hedges. They have nothing of the gipsey tricks in their manners or character, being honest, laborious, and worthy people; much valued in their circuits, and made welcome to their favourite accommodations, wherever they go. We found the husband and his three younger children, of fine, fresh, and even fair complexions, were em- bowered in a very beautiful nook of woodland, and nothing by way even of hut, but two broad pieces of canvass, placed aslant against each other, and open at both ends. This is their summer and wiiLter moveable hai>itationj audi HAMPSHIRE STATIOX. 219 ill which, the man assured us, his children were born and bred ; and that he and his wife lived happier and healthier than they had ever done in a house in their lives. Tlie wife, whom we had seen the day before, at Bouveridge-farm, where she came with her wares, confirmed this account. It is the more singular, as she is ap- parently a woman of delicate constitution, still only in middle life, and passed most of her early years in the softest kind of servitude, with a lady of fashion, as her attendant, and so ap- proved and favoured as to want nothing that could contribute to comfort. On questioning her respecting her first going into this erratic sort of life, she told me, " it arose from her husband's feeble state of Jiealtk in a house; but that, as he got better in the open air, they had lived in it ever since, and should so continue till they died ; for that, now, they all liked it as well as he." * Weil might the poet assert that " Custom forms us all." We will close the short Dorset Station with the above sylvan groupe, which I trust you will think too interesting to pass unnoticed. * The name of these persons is Phillips, and the facts here stated known to hundreds in each of the shires withia their circuit. 220 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. On the 29th of October we bade adieu to Bouveridge-farm, and returned to Woodlands ; bidding adieu to Brook-hill and all the scenery before described, and which had undergone fewer changes than could have been expected from the late season of the year. But, indeed, had the alternation in vegetable nature been far greater, and the signs of the coming winter been more visible, they would, at this time, have produced less gloom, as our attention was drawn to other objects. It was the day that the king visited Hampshire ; and it would have been more easy to number the trees of the parts of the forest through which he was to pass, than the sons and daughters of Curiosity and Loyalty, who thronged to offer liim the homage of their eyes and hearts. Indeed, Fritham- plains, and the high roads and by- paths, in every direction, exhibited a wide- extended moving picture. The points of emi- nence, near to the place at which he was to make his first sojourn, were covered with peo- ple, carriages of all sorts and sizes, from the four-in-hand phaeton to the smarted up tax- cart. The volunteers, and other military of of the county — the rangers, keepers. Sec. &c. . were all drawn up on the occasion, and the very branches of the 'trees were loaded by the anxious peasantry : some of them clambered up HAMPSHIRE STATION. 221 to the topmost boughs ; and the whole was a goodly sight, yea, and a goodly sensation also. It denoted that allegiance which at all times, but more especially at a moment like the present, is so desirable. It can scarcely be necessary to observe, that the Gleaner added one to the number of spectators. You will not be surprised to hear, that, although I had rode more than twenty miles to regain my Woodlands Station, I forgot every feeling of fatigue on seeing the friends there assembled snatching a hasty meal, to be in time for the forest-jubilee at CufFnels.* * The seat of George Rose, Esq. secretary to the treasury, whose useful exertions, says the Southampton Tourist, in behalf of benefit societies will be long remembered, particularly in this neighbourhood. This gentleman has greatly improved the liouse and grounds since they have been in his possession. The apartments are elegant : that which contains the library is a handsome well-proportioned room, and the collection of books is large and valuable. Mr. Rose appears to be an advocate fox., the employment of oxen in husbandry. He sets the Hampshire farmers an exara-~ pie, by keeping a fine team of them. And they have eveu exhibited their speed in the race, on Lyndhurst-course, more than once, with no small degree of credit to themselves and of diversion to tlie spectators. But Mr. Rose has other benevolent claims, besides those arising from his institution of the Friendly Society, by the ingenious author of the Tour. He has an establishment also for the benefit of widows and orphan children. Likewise a ^20, SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. The illustrious visitors, however, did not arrive till near three hours later than the appointed time. But neither the eyes or hearts were fa- tigued with expectation ; for, on appearance of the royal carriages, the reception had still the straw manufeictory, whidi employs poor children; many of thcin earn four shillings per week. For the sake of example, it ought to be added, that, in case of sickness, or other distress, Mrs. Rose, Mrs. Dewon, and the other ladies of the parish, visit the sufierers, and dispense their charity according to their several necessities. Nor could I answer to you my neglect of the exemplary conduct of Mrs. Michell, for a most extensive diffusion of genuine benevolence.* ]\Iy informants, and they are of the best authority, assure me, this \aAy likewise performs her daily tours of bounty, within, and often beyond the limits of her neighbourhood, to explore the haunts of grief and of pain ; and is no sooner satisfied with the wants and cares of the sufferers, than she administers every comfort, in proportion to the nature and degree of their affliction. The particulars of her kindness and commiseration would fill a volume, and might, after all, wound her delicacy, while I only mean not individually to praise herself but to recommend her, and the family of Cuffnels, f as examples for others equally able, to " Go and do likewise;" and I cannot but believe the reader's heart will receive pages filled in this way, with the record of goodness, beyond a folio of remarks on pictures, paintings, statues, and works of the sublimer arts. * ^Ir. Chamberlainc, of I(;hen ; Mrs. Fleraming, of Stoneliam, hate u9 )esB claims on tlic reverence of the poor, in their respective parishes, t Of Northerwood, near Lyndhurst. HAMPSHIR£ STATION'. 2'i3 waimtli, freshness, and unanimity of a gratified assembly of many thousand subjects, no less lionourable to the piinte than to the people. On my return to Woodlands, through the forest, by moonlight, all the echos appeared to catch tlie mingled sounds of sport, content, and sa- tisfaction, as they were reverberated from innu- merable people, drums, trumpets, and many human voices, more attuned to the melody of the heart on such an occasion than every other instrument. And, now beauteous Forest, and thou one of its fairest spots, sweet Woodlands, I must bid ye farewel; but not without the blessing, not with- out the prayers, of an invalid restored to the hap- piness M'hich health only can bestow ! Farewel. NOTE. In passing Southampton, I am induced to give a notice of the newly-crectcd play-house in that favourite town, as it con- nects with something curious in the laws, by which all the pro- vincial theatres of this country, not opened on royal license, are conducted. The first account I can glean of any regular dramatic per- formance, in Southampton, is in 176'5, when a company per- formed in the town-hall, or Bar-Gate Assize-Room. The fol- jng year, {1766,) a Mr. Johnson obtained a subscription, from fifteen persons, of ten guineas each, and converted an old 224 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. building, in French-street, into something more like a regular theatre. It was opened the beginning of July, with a prologue, written by Mr. Keete. This house, after the fourth season, came into the management of INIessrs. Collins and Davies, who, at different times, considerably improved it, and occu- pied it regularly three or four months every summer, for suc- cessive years. From the number of commodious theatres rising up in every large and populous town in the united kingdoms, the old theatre was still thought a very indifferent place of accommodation for so elegant a town and neighbourhood, and a subscription was intended to have been set on foot, to pull down the old pre- mises, and, on the same site, to rebuild it; but the narrowness of the spot, vi'hich would not admit of a commodious lobby, or corridor, round the boxes, (an accommodation always wished for,) prevented the plan from being carried into execution. The present building occupies a space of ground, where formerly stood an endowed hospital, for the education of a certain number of children ; but, many years since, an act was obtained for its re- moval, or annihilation. Thus, becoming private property, it was purchased by Mr. Collins, who has erected, as I under- stand, at his sole expense, a spacious and elegant building, at no less a sum than 40C0/. including scenery and decorations, but without any other security than an annual license from the magistrates. In order to make the theatre perfectly commodious, it was necessary to purchase the house adjoining the hospital, part of which forms the sweep that gives the theatre an elliptical ap- pearance. I do not, however, remember an instance, in the- atrical annals, of an individual advancing so much money, with- out the security of a patent, or royal sanction. The act of parliament, which passed in favour of the country stage, in 1788, arising from a dispute between two tradesmen, of Salisbury, one of them proprietor of a new theatre, the HAMPSIIIRB STATIOV. ^$$ other of a weighing-engine. The owner of the tlieatfc erected a similfir. machine, in opposition to his neighbour; the other rc- tortej, by lodging An infprniatipri against the manager and performers of the theatre. The matter vyas litigated, and was brought to trial before tlvc late Judge Duller. The point at issue lay in a nut-shell. The heros of the s6ck and buskin were found wanting in the scale, and were cast in the penalty of 50/. each* Mr. Jekyll made a pleasant speech for the manager. He said, Hamlet wotild be stripped of his black coat ; the boards on which philosophers, kings, and statesmen, so oft had trod, would be converted to base and vulgar uses ; and he feared the commotion, in consequence of this decree, would be general in the provincial mimic st^tc;. Shortly after this defeHt, \i\e pjreseiU t-ord Rawdon movedi in the J^prds, fqr the present bill, which liberates the profesi>ion from its ajitienjt stigma. It was, at the same time, brought forward in the Com- mons, by Mr. Hussy. Not any member objected tp thje priu-- ciple of the bill ^ but several lords in high olHcc seemed not to be satisfied with the power of }iccaijiiig being vested iu the justices of cities and townsj and thought, that, as the right wj^s forwerly in the crown, it ought, to revert tp the ^m? source. It was, indeed, brought forward near the close of the sessions, when the house was very thinly attended ; and, from good a.uthority, I ha.ve been told, thatf had there been the least de? bate on any of the clauses, it would have been thrown out, and another brought forward, perhaps, on more unfettered priur ciples. Jhe nobleman, who acted from pure and disinteresfc- ed motives, was therefore under the necessity of mending it in such a manner as to meet the patronage of many, who other- wise would have opposed it. The bill goes to license theatres for sixty nights performance in the course of four successive months : the eight months interval must expire before a re- newal. Unquestionably, the stipulated sixty nights allows ample latitude for almost any pirovincial theatre; yet, as they VOL. I. Q S26 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. must be taken four months in succession, it totally excludes the advantage of popular weeks, as assizes, races, &c. if they fall out of the time limited, ^vhich is a heavy drawback on expenses ceiftainj and profits always precarious. The spirit of the act would be greatly amended, by the sixty nights not b»ing confined to any particular time. However, as the eye and purse of government arc now directed to the most awful and costly national objects, there can be little hope of making more beneficial arrangements in our places of public amuse- ment, till a period of greater leisure and less public exigence. Yet, as much of our most rational entertainment, relief from the cares, and relaxation from the labours of life, arc derived from the theatre, we cannot but wish to sec liberal reward and unfettered freedom of action crown the toils, hazards, and enterprizes, of perhaps our best amusement, particularly where, as in the present instance, the proprietor risks the greater part of his property with an adventurous spirit, and throws himself on the consideration and generosity of the pub- lic not only for remuneration, but for safety. You will rea- dily pardon this brief tribute of good-will called forth on a proper occasion. It has been long established between us, that I should notice, in my progress, every thing that merits praise or patronage, and of which, the mention may stand but a chance of assisting or accomplishing the object. The South- ampton theatre is always supplied with a respectable company, though it has lately sustained an irreparable loss in the mana- ger's son, who is removed to a wider scene of action, on ths Ijondoii stage, where his various talents are an acquisition^ Hampshire statioi?. 227 IVincIiester, Nov. 7, 1S04. You will have no difficulty, my dear ac- commodating friend, in allowing me, on the like principle, to place beside the foregoing scenery a few remarks, made, about the same date, on my Winchester Station.* There is a natural connexion between them ; and, besides their being in the same county, my friendship unites them by congenial sympathies. I will speak to you of these more particularly as we pass on. This venerable city is fortunate in an able historian ; for, to that character, Dr. Milner is unquestionably entitled. I have neither eye or ear for disputes, nor any thing to do with dif- ference of professors, as to religion or politics : and I zealously avoid tlie too deeply shaded parts of objects, and leave the utter darkness of scenery and of character to others who better like such developcments. I anxiously seek and display worth and merit, in all ranks and in all orders, wheresoever I can find , them. There is no limit to controversy ; and. * These sketches were taken in th.e way to Southampton, prior to the woodland scenery, but were reserved for my return. <4 2 228 SUPPtEMZNTARY GLEANINGS. for " modes of faith," Pope has settled tliat matter better, perhaps, in two lines, which every body knows, than has ever been done, before or since, in two thousand volumes ; Avhich, I presujfire, does not exceed what ha* been written upon these " never-ending still- beginning" subjects. The diligence and accuracy of the above- named has left nothing to be added, either for the use of the ordinary or extraordinary, for the learned or unlearned, traveller, in respect of Winchester; yet, though he has not been more copious than correct, it is always beyond the Gleaner's purpose to go into any considerable length of local description. I must, therefore, BOW, as on former occasions, content myself with abridging what singly relates to that antient place, and even that by note.* * " Winchester," says the doctor, " is situated in a pleasant and fertile valley, which is surrounded by lofty cliffs and hills, and intersected by the various branches of a clear and rapid ri- ver. Indeed, both the water and the air here arc remarkable fop their purity ; and if the latter, from the openness of the counrtry and the nature of the soil, is rather keen, for a situation so much, to the south, it is proportionably healthy, as experience ppoveSi The provisions here are all of the best quality ; and, as the city has a near communication with the sea, by a navigable canal, it is supplied with coals, timber, and other heavy comraoditfes^ upon reasonable terms. Its corporation, which consists of a^ IIA5IPSniRE STATION. 2€9 Now, Jts to the affcctio7is, — though they can, at this age of" the world, produce nothing new to sensation, they are eternally teeming, hke the world itself, with novelty of event and charac- ter; sources from which human happiness of mi- sery derive so much of their colour, and which it is so much my delight to examine and deli- neate. Winchester has been peculiarly favourable to mayor, high steward, recorder, baihffs, aldermen, besides the freemen, is the most antient establishment of the kind in Eng- land, being several years more antient than that of London. By these privileged orders the two representatives in parlia- ment for the city are chosen. It possesses two manufactories, which, however, are not extensive ; one for combing wool, of ant,ient date; the other for spinning silk, which has lately been set oh foot. The other advantages which this city enjoys, and which cannot fail of making it a place of considerable conse- quence, are, that the two annual assizes, the four quarter ses- sions, the parliamentary elections for the county as well as the city, the races, music-meetings, and other public meetings, of whatever nature, for the county, are exclusively held ui it: add to this, that it is the head-quarters, and contains the chief barracks for the military district in which it is placed ; that the county jail, bridewell, and hospital, are situated in it ; and that it contains the remains of an afttieht castle, a venerable cathedral, a celebrated college, anU other antiquities and curiosities, which are all amply described and detailed in the excellent work itself, which well deserves the character of its being a valuable addition to the stock of historical know* Jcdge amongst us 230 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANIXGS. this sort of pleasure in a recent excursion. . The ohjects were rendered more than usually interesting by local circumstances. I arrived there on the day preceding a Fair, which is held, on St. Giles's Hill, every l!2th of September, and wdiich was, in antient times, by far the greatest in the kingxlom, — then lasting sixteen days. It was an occasion too congenial to a traveller, curious to explore busy or happy, careful or careless, faces, not to ascend this sainted hill, which I therefore scaled with as much zeal and ardour, though with less speed, than most of the damsels. These, indeed, almost flew up the steep, winged by the expectation of new bonnets and handkerchiefs, hats and ribands ; most of them under the escort of their swains, who were, no doubt, prepared to pull out their yellow canvass bags, and distribute their love-tokens, in the shape of fairings^ with no sparing hand. Yet the day was intensely hot, and the hill almost perpendicular. Up, -however, I clam- bered, with lingering steps and slow, and a re- Tay" of benches, at equal distances in the ascent, was scarcely more reheving than the view of the hope-inspired crowds of country lads and lasses, who ascended with the light foot and the yet lighter heart of youth in its holiday Jceliug. The slip, accidental or feigned, the HAMPSHIRE STATION. 231 c«lour of health, the gambols of-strength, and the bounds of felicity, exerted in the progress of climbing, and the kind of trium])hant laugh, when the groupes had gained the sunmiit, or slid backwards, or paused to recover breath, could hardly be more refreshing to the parties themselves than to me. And, when they rati along the level of the mountain, or balanced themselves on the sloping sides, to shew their agility, or to be caught in their real or coun- terfeited trips and half-tumbles by their rural companions, I followed them with more mea- sured pace to be sure, but in as exhilarated a How of spirits, and with as throbbing a heart. One class of objects, however, had a degree of interest for your friend, which ninety-nine out of a hundred of the happy creatures that then peopled the hill seldom consider with any in- terest at all. The beauties of Nature, to those who live in the midst, or in the vicinity of tliem, have few charms. To such an enthu- siast as myself, of the shades and of the sun, of the mountain, the valley, the water, and the wood, and all the intermingling of forests, ca- thedrals, colleges, churches, hospitals, and other pubhc or private buildings of a venerable city ; the view of what Winchester was, from such a sunnnit — exhibits on a rich autumnal sun- bright morning, associated too with the histoi^ ^32 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. 6f monks, prelates, warriors, and kings, — aH ef whom came into a mind's-eye picture of this kind— -anxl the drawing taken from an eminence, almost justifying the epithet sub- lime — has attractions innumerable. I felt them all • and, when I followed the gay throngs, the gratiiication was increased by contrast. I found most of them at tht booths and stalls, occupied in selection or in acceptance of those great little things, which, as dear Goldsmith says, *' are great to little man.' Nature shut some of her sceilery from tny view ; but she met me again in the human tbrm^; in tht;^ eye that sparkled with pleasure, with gratitude, 6t with love;'f6r the small free-will offerings •#ere appropriate to one or other, or to a ipix^ ture of all those beauteous passioi*»&. But the portrait had yet some graver, but jfto s6mbrous, tints reflected fi^om the business- faces of the horse-dealers and cheese-factors, and from the routine of buyer or seller^ of panegyrists and critics upon the several commodities. The hocrr of relaxation was HOt yet come to' the sons of gain ; but fur?: and frohc " took their turn to reign," and, before the g;roupes returned home, many of the gravest became the most gay : nay, some of those who had gained the top of the hill at ^rly morn,- with steady step and- solemn de* HAMPSHIRE STATI0N\ fi33 meanour, eitlier reelrri or rolled down it towards night-fall, as full of frolic as the fiici'fitst of the ci-ew. But ere your friend lets you down in safety, from the mountain and liis description, he must notice the impression made on him by a view of the English nunneries established in Winchester, partly for the protection of the rehgious catholic fugitives, and partly for the education of female youth of that persuasion. What I thought in prose I have expressed in verse ; and, as my Poetic Effusions so immedi- ately connect with th^ subject, I shall subjoia them. Oil a distant View af the English Convents of Nmis, at Winchester. Written on the Day of the HiU-Fair, Stpember 13, J 804. Ye self-devoted ! if ye live Far from vvhate'er the world can give j, The social joys that youth engage. Enchant the gay, seduce the sage ; If far from scenes where passioiTs range In wild and never-ending change ; Xiove, hate, indiff 'rence, grief, and bliss — Ye sisters pale, if these you miss. And these escsping, if you shun The scenes in which such miriads run £34 SUPPLEMENTARY GLeAniNGS. With bead- long speed, or progress slow^ Alike the cause of human woe ; Ne'er can the Muse your lot deplore. But hail the convent's sheltering door. Far from that convent's sacred walls. In lofty domes and stately halls, "Where Grandeur, Luxury, and Pride-, In pomp and pageantry reside ; From Glory's crimson path as far. And all the scenes of ruthless war. Where madd'ning Vict'ry's chariots roll. Or Mirth, more frantic, drains the howl ; If e'en that transport of the heart, O Love, which thou can best impart ; If the sweet tie of offspring dear. If bliss, that rises to a tear. And aches with tender happiness. Frail man, thou canst not bear excess. — — Yes, — if all these, — and thousands more. From the Svorld's never-failing store. Too various for the Muse to tell. Fly, — when you bid the world farewell ; Ne'er can the Muse your lot deplore. But hail the convent's shelt'ring door. If, above all, from guests more rude. From the foul fiend. Ingratitude, - You shut the 'everlasting door. How can the Muse your lot deplore ? If this be true, ye sisters pale. The muse shall ne'er your lot bewail ; No more shall deem the nunnery's gloom Worse than the darkness of the tomb^ HAMPSHIRE STATIOJSr. 235 13ut hail the hoirr that sets you free, O world ! iVoiii thy inicjuity. But if, when from that world you run. You meet more evils than you shuu; If, closed within your convent walls. You ne'er can hear when Sorrow calls, ' Or miss the good you might dispense, ^o objects of benevolence ; The orphan's sigh, the widow's moan. The mother's tear, the father's groan, / The smile of joy, when help is near. The love, which well repays the tear - If far removed from these you dwell, ^ Soon as 3'ou bid the world farewell ; ♦ Still must the Muse the fate deplore. That shuts upon the world the door. But, although I had penciled these Hnes, I was happy in an opportunity of both seeing and feeling more of the subject. Fortunately, for my curiosity, itliappened that, a few weeks previously to my excursion, an ami- able young friend — the Sophia* of whose earlier days I had already been the ^^istorian — was entered a pensioner of one of these convents — that of the Benedictines, — for one year, to complete her education. Tlie rules of the house * Sep Lines addressed to So|>hia, at Winchester, vol. iii. 236 suppLEilEi*ftAr.Y gleanings. allowing of the pensioners receiving their rela- tives and friends, I announced my Jirrival, and was invited to the nunnery. It was, indeed, the contrast of contrasts ! A transition from a Fair^ Avhere youth and age avowedly met to give themselves up to a kind of jubilee, in a land of perfect freedom, ,to a monastic establishment^ which gives us at least the idea of a reverse of the picture ; and, in general, no doubt it is so : but, in the in- stance before me, t found the appearance, and I am disp6sed to think the reality, of happi- ness. The principals of the community, namely, the Lady Abbess, (Mrs. Eccles,) the Prioress, (Mrs. Raymond,) are well-bred elegant women, and received me with an urbanity that would have distinguished them in the- polished scenes of the world. They were followed into the apartment by several of the mms, in the ex- tremes of youth and age; and the counte- nance and conversation of both bore the marks of content, aiic! even of felicity. The story of their expulsion from their former convent, on the continent — the hazards and hardships they encountered before and after their flight ' — the disinterested attachment they shewxd for each other, least their return to their relatives and friends in this country should divide them — the joy they experienced on finding the \ HAMPSIIUIP STATjJQV'. 23^ Strength of thm imh, um\ pf theif JijtJ'eptiQii for oiif- tremely gratify every candid mind, without go- ing at all into the question of religious institU' tions; and I tridy regret that time is wajitiug to detail particulars so new as the gleaning of the inside of an English nunnery, and so interesit- ins: in itself One of tlie nuns (Dame Bernard) ha$ been professed fifty years, aud the half century of her nunhood w^as celebrated by a sort of jubi- l£€. Dame Ignasia (Mrs. ColUns) 1ms a mo- ther, in Loudon, whom she visits. The inter- view was tender ; but it did not produce wloat might beexpected, a domestication with her fa-, mily for the remainder of lite. Tvvcnty-^even of the.>e nuns w ere from J3vuss.ds« aijd had with dif- iicully avoided a.blooily act-fQc of Rabeapi^ri-e. 238 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. Each had only time allowed to make up such a package as she could carry ; they then set off, with terror and precipitation, in the habits of their order, and may he said almost to have Jied over the land and water, winged by fears, till they reached the English shore. There are one-and-twenty pensioners under the care and tuition of Dame Ignasia, who is truly an interesting woman : she has the kind words and feelings of her pupils, as have, in- deed, the rest of the sisterhood, with Avhom- they seem to mix in all the gaiety as well as so- briety of spirit. In the prejudice of the gene- ral opinion, I entered the convent with for- midable, but I left it with affectionate, feel- ings, unalloyed by any thing that regarded modes of faith, purely on the broad prin- ciple of good- will. I retained the full force of the sentiment in the last passage of the Unes I had addressed to them, yet I wished mirth, wisdom, and piety, to bless and remain with them for ever ! But, in truth, without going into a mona- stery I can sheW" you some persons, living in the wm^ldy who have as much simplicity, and as httle guile of character, and of as unspotted conduct, as if they had been secluded in a monastery, or, indeed, born in the age of innocence. I will introduce them to you, HAMi>SHIRE STATION, 239 under favour of the Muse who assisted me in presenting some trifles of remembrance, on the morning I scaled St. Giles's Hill, so recently described. TO llr. and Mrs. MORREL, WITH FAIRINGS. Accept the trifling gifts 1 bring — ; — A fair itself *s a trifling thing — Yet smallest gifts, if kind and free, "No less than splendid presents, prove Tokens of friendship and of love. And gems of sweet sincerity ! Yet, could I choose what might express, Iii mind, in manners, and in dress. What we in life so seldom see. From youth to age a pair like you ; Then, in my fairings should you view. That gem of gems, simplicity ! My ribands should nor fly, nor fade. But stand the sunshine and the shade, like leaves of some immortal tree ; Their colours too, a heavenly hue. Should shine in Nature's lustre true. To grace the gem, sincerity ! Yet not the Quaker's formjil brown. Nor coxcomb colour of the town. 1|40 SUPPLEMEXTART GLEAXING*. For these with you but ill agree ; Nor yet, affecting to be neat. The studied, flaunting tints we meet. Mocking the gem, simtlicitv ! O no f my Present should display Something so just 'twixt grave and gay. Yet good, that it should seem, to be A Present meet for such a pair. And all who know you should declare, 'Twas the pure gem, simplicity ! I have long Avislied for an opportunity to pay a tribute of justice to the very singular persons to whom the foregoing verses, written under their roof, are addressed. An unforced occa- sion is before me, and I avail myself of it, by subjoining ^ little sketch of their characters, which many hundred people will know to be drawn by the hand of Truth, unaided by the slightest interference of Fancy. Yet, unvar- nished as is the tale, I have long meditated to bring the hero and heroine of it into a work of general imagination, long since begun, and promised to the public. — I may yet live to perform that promise ; but the path of life is full of obstructions. I will not trust to delays, which may deprive you of some interesting fagts, and th^ WQxld of a» excellent exauiple. HAMPSHIRE STATION". 241 The almost primitive goodness of this Mr. ■ and ]\Irs. Morrcl is ahnost a realization of all that the poets and novel writers have fancied of simplicity, nature, and truth, in the golden age. In these times of refinement and revolution, both the man and the wife exhibit those qualities which it has been the delight of the fabuhsts to create, and of the muse to praise. It was their chance to meet, very early in life, under circumstances favourable to impression — namely, similarity of situation, and some difficulties Of fortune, as to pros- pects of establishment. They resided for many years in a state of respectable servitude, with the noble family of the St.-Johns. He, in the capacity of butler, she, of lady's attendant. They continued in these departments upwards of thirty years, esteemed and trusted by their superiors, and in harmony, but not what is usually called enamoured of each other. At the deaths both of master and mistress they began to feel that a separation would be like death to themselves. They had lived so long in amity unbroken, under the same roof, that the idea of parting appeared afflicting ; and the author of the above verses has very recently heard them say, that idea first suggested the almost necessity of their being associated for life. They had formed the highest opinion of VOL. I. R 24IS SUPPtEMENTARY GLEANINGS. one another, on the experience of head, heart, and temper; and in the constant view of habits, manners, and conduct, for thrice ten years. They had been faithfid stewards and approved domestics all that time ; they could, there- fore, hazard nothing in dehvering themselves up for the residue of life to the unbounded confidence of that state, the basis of whose felicity is mutual trust : never so well founded as when tried by the test of time. They married : since which, thirteen years of an affection that has abated nothing of the first day's kindness has confirmed their choice, and continued a de- votion to each other, that may give an example to the highest orders of men and women. The uninterrupted — I had almost said the gallant — attention he shows her, really sa- vours of the days and manners of chivalry, in affection ; while, on her part, a sort of reveren- tial and yet tender deference towards him fully justifies the homage he pays. Long accustomed to the deference due to their superiors in rank — in qualities of the heart they can never have had any — they have acquired a respectful, a humble, but by no means a servile, demeanour, towards even their most appreciated friends and neighbours, in what are called — the independent con- ditions of life. And this beautiful modesty HAJipsyiKE sTATioy. 243 of deportment is never destroyed even by the endearing intercourse which is apt to change into a presuming or negligent famili- arity, too frequently tli€ result of constant com- munication. Widi the good Morells, y6u may be not only associated as neighbours, but domesti- cated as inmates for a course of years, witliout ])erceiving the slightest deviation from the profound yet affectionate respect they offered in the first weeks or raontljs of acquaintance. To adopt Scripture language, this is indeed that true " self- abasement which shall be exalt- ed ; " it is impossible not to feel a reverence towards those who are content to hold the second place that you may hold the first. Is any courtesy required of either of these persons; the wish is almost pfevented by the ac- -compli^hment ! Does a friend announce himself to pass a day, a week, a month ! the door is open- ' ed by Hospitality, who gives the hand of wel- come with so plain, so direct, yet fervid a since- rity, it reaches your very heart, Avhich must be cold indeed if it meets not as ardent a return. Is a commission to be executed with dispatch! depend on its being peifoimed, if possible, withiri ■the hour of the limit or expectation ; no mat- ter for the difficulty, the fatigue, the inconve- nience. Testimonials of all this, however in- teresting, would be liere out Qf pla,c.e : I .cowl4 b2 244 SUPPLE!iliNTARY GlEAXrXGS. Otherwise detail them with high gratiiicatiotiv These Itriily good people have, for some years; past, officiated at the post-hoiise, for the busi-' ness of which they are both, by method^ man- ners, and temper, well calculated. And this leads me naturally to advert to the conduct of others who till the like office — which, it must be owned, is frequently a trou- blesome one — with a very ill grace. The Gkaner sincerely dislikes to speak, much less to publish, ill of any body, but there is a painful as well as a pleasing duty to be performed by a tourist, in regard to public accommodation. Not many miles from this venerable city is a post-office, where it is in vain tcr ex- pect any thing like civility, either for love or money; and where the letters,, left at the post-house, are delivered either with a sullen silence, or ill-mannered remark, as if a miscF were making you a grudging cojnpUment of the postage. But, at a still more polished place, and not very remote, where Fa sh i o n is said to have fixed her throne, the urbanity of that Goddess has had no influence on the gentlefolks of the post-office. On the contrary, a supercilious rudeness, im- patience, or impertinence, is daily experi- enced by people who pass much of their time, and circulate much of their money, to the ge- HAMPSHIRE STATION. 245 Beral advantage of the fair city in (Question. It is a pity the characteristic pohteness of the place can find no entrance near the letter-box. Far different is the behaviour both of the post-master and his assistants, in a town more remarkable for trade than fashion, — for get- ting money than for spending it. The business of the post-office at 13ii«ming}iam is ex- tremely laborious, but is carried on with a de- gree of good-temper, alacrity, and forbearance, that is at once pleasing and praise- worthy. There are always three, and sometimes five de- liveries per day. " The letters left till called for, at the office, are, in point of number, incre- dible. I have seen not only the passage leading up to the letter-box, but a considera- ble part of the street, to the opposite side, loaded with irritable and clamorous expec- tants. I have frequently watched both the collection and dispersTon of the multitude ; but I never heard or saw, from the box-office, a single murmur or frown that could add to the chagrin even of a disappointed person ; and all the passions in their turn are put out of humour at a post-house. Methinks, in this instance, the postmaster of the most polite city might con- descendt o be taught the pleasure as well as the (}|ity of good manners £iom a commercial town, 245 SUPPtEMfiXtAftt GLEANINGS. At leiigth, itiy excellent friend, after thank- irigyou again for your indulgence in having, as it were, placed yourself ^vholly at my dispo- sal, in regard to the freedom of date, — an indulgence, I woukl fain believe, not wholly ill-repaid, — we will return to other detached parts of our corresponctencc, from which al- luring Nature, singfilar char^icters, afid hiterest-- ing circumstances have tempted itie to deviate. But, as you gratify me by the assurance Off being well satisfied with the new and old mat- ter,, which I have thereby interwoven^ I shall conside. myself at full liberty to continue that xmfettered mode, should events or excursions again hold out the promise of diversifying youF amusement or jnfonnation. At present, a less flowed r path than that we have lately trod is beforig us. jbe seenery of Woods, meads, and gardens, with ilw'iY lofty and lowly inhabitants, must give way to the more stern, though to many thou«afids of be- ings, mote engaging imagery, of shops, wharfs, and warehouses. Enough being nb^ pr^fnisedj for c'G(tniectiiig the thread, so far as is Accessary tb the natui'e and objects Of the work, W6 will sihift ^tir quartets, by a kind of literary, inst^'ad of mditarvj march, frbrii Winchester tb Birniing*- ham. - MAMPSIIIBE STATION. 247 Just as I am quitting my Hampshire Station, I am favoured with some information respect- ing the death and funeral of Mr. Gilpin, ia a letter from his worthy relative. I shall add it, in the way of supplement to my former tribute of respect, with great pleasure. ** So short a time intervened between the pe- riod of Mr. Gilpin's last fatal seizure, and the conclusion of his life, as to leave little space for many very striking events. For, though we had looked forward to his death, (through the threatening violence of a dropsy,) yet, Avhen it seized him, it was unexpected.- His constitution, invigorated by temperance, had thrown off the virulence of his malady, which had enabled him to resume many of his woA- ted employments ; and he was as well, at the moment of his seizure, as he had been for some time : so that his friends began to indulge in the hope that he would be permitted to re- main some time longer with them. Hjs last illness came on about three o'clock in the afternoon of the 4th April. It was violent and rapid in its progress. One symp- ton succeeded another, in quick succession, till he expired, on the following day, at half past twelve, Avith great calmness and sereni* 248 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. ty — the natural fruits of a firm faith and trust in God ! His funeral, agreeably to his own directions, was private. His corpse, at- tended by five of his nearest relations, was l)orne to the grave by twelve of his poor pa- rishioners. He is buried on the north side of Boldre church-yard, near the maple-tree, which he mentions in his Forest Scenery. His tomb is covered with a flat stone, raised upon brick, and bears this inscription ;" " In a quiet mansion, beneath this stone, secured from the ajjiictmis and still more dangerous enjoyments of life, lie the remains of William Gilpin, M. A. sometime vicar of of this parish. *' He died April ^, 1804, at the age of eighty.'^ SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS, CoUeckd,in the Years 178C and 1783, ON THE WARWICKSHIRE STATION: IJJCLUDINO THE COMMUNICATIONS OF J, MORFJTT, Es(^, ■^p^ij^^r ADVERTISEMENT. It is expedient to say something on a sub- ject which will be found to occupy a consi^ derable proportion of the remainder of the Supplementary Gleanings. Arid to this point I must speak without any of the playful gravity^ or avowed sport, that, partly by the suffrage of custom, and partly by the courtesy of the reader, has been deemed admissible in a fictitious or assumed character. In consequence of a hint * thrown out * '' Afttr all the touts that have made their appearance, wi are still in want of a most irrfptivtant view of the actu- al state of the kingdom, respecting its manvfactures. 252 ADVERTISEMENT, hy some periodical critics, to zvliom I have often expressed and felt myself no les^ indebted for the benefit of remonstrance than for the e7icouragement of applause, it was proposed, as the Author s next lite-t vary undertaking, to publish a regular' and systematic " Inquiry" into national inventions, improvements, and the moral and social state of the artisans in ma^ Qiufacturing towns, ^-c. and on these subjects he had collected a large mass of authentic materials ; but^ on maturely weighing the matter, he found that, in order to render it tolerably complete and satisfactory, he should he carried far beyond the limits he had pre- scribed to himself ; and also, from thefluctua' The itifiuence of this species of employment on the customs, and morals of the people is astonishing, and it wouldjind. employment for very sagacious and philosophic observers. It were to be wished the Gleaner uould mingle more mat- ter of this nature in his tours," — Monthfy Review far December, 1801, ADVERTISEMfiXT. ^55 tions in the state of trade and manufactures^ as influenced by peace or war, by plenty or scarcity y that, while he was moulding his coU lections into form, new circumstances were constantly arising to invalidate the positions he had adopted. Impressed with a sense of those difficulties, which neither diligence could overcome, nor care elude, he determi^ tied to abandon the original plan, and to give, in a work of lighter and more pleasing texture to general readers, an idea of what would have spread over several vo- lumes ; and yet would have been imperfect^ from the eauses already assigfied. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. BIR*MINGHAM. A liave never seen tlie powerful effect of con^- trast more completely illustrated than in the sudden transition from the room assigned me in a villa of some friends whom I had visited in Warwickshire, at the opening of May, to my present apartment in this town, where I am come to inspect and inquire into the state of the manufacturing poor; fixing on Bir- mingham, because it is one of the strong holds of our trade in various important branches, and may serve as a specimen of the rest. I have placed myself in the High-street of the above animated town, and at a part that fronts New-street. ■ The window at which I am now seated is ift the very centre of business; and it is the day (Thursday) of the chief market. I begin these remarks, on the different scenery, so early Cj6 SUPPLEMENTARV GLEAiflNGS. as eight o'clock ; about the time at wliich I yes- terday pre|mred to take my way from the housd of mv villao-e friend: on which account the comparison will be more impressive, if I should b^ able to convey fo your mind the tmimpaired sensations of n:iy owm, so as to bring th(^ objects and inferences more closely under your eyC; The view, from tny late apartment in the country, exhibited all that you can conceive of the charm of spring verdure. There had recently fallen showers, which threw over the clover, meadow grass, and wheat fends, to the extent of many acres on either side, a freshness, only to be felt. The same may be said of the flowers and vegetables. The up- lands rose in soft ascent, and Malvern-hill, which proudly made them, as it were, a foot- stool, bounded the prospect. The varied inhabitants of the intermediate vale were so many objects appropriate to the peace and giiiet of the scene. A class, of other objects mark the contrast In the morning of the preceding day I had observed the lamb sporting with its mother, or frohcking with itself. The various domestic fowls were abroad, and alike busy, whether on the wing or the foot. The hen was leading her nursery to the ant- bank, the ants were employed either ^VARWlCKSHfRE STATION. 257 in- architecture, or in fetching and carrying stores to their finished edifice, by paths innu- merable. The bees were roving in as many. The birds were rejoicing in the beauty of tlicir own season. The linnet was Avarbhng in the hedge; the nightingale pouring his mellow note from the copse. The robin sung his morning orisons, almost within reach of my window ; the bird-who has " no sorrow in his song, no winter in his year," * gave those notes which, though incessantly repeated, are delightful to the ear, and the lark was singing to the sun- beams. You are not, my friend, amongst those who are to be pitied for not shewing a rehsh of these things. You have an eye, an ear, and a soul for them all ; and you will not be insen- sible to the promised contrast, as we pursue it. From my observatory apartment in this huge place, I see, it is true, no sheep or lambs but such as have been driven hither, in dusty trains, for tlie market, which, in itself, is the reverse of the scene I have quitted ; nor do I observe any poultry, but what are crammed into baskets; nor any birds, butwhat are imprison- ed in cages. The long and ample street, of which I have the command, is filling fast with * Langliorne's Sonnet to the Cuckoo, VOL. I. S 258 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS. beasts and men, equally busy; but it is not unamusing to s spirit of trade would have left little time for cultivating the spi- rit of disinterested hospitality, and still less for literature and the arts, unconnected with the immediate objects of that indus- try and contrivance, which appeared to demand incessajit de- sign or execution. But I was uniformly premature in jny idea. The inhabitants add to the arts of invention and business the desire to diffuse the social cordialities of life ; and, in point of good breeding, or thart w1)ich is the effect of it — a most kind welcome. I have never known them surpassed, seldom equalled, by people who have little more to do than to polish themselves up for all sorts of occasions, and live in refined societies, where trade and tradesmen seldom employ their thoughts, but when Idleness condescends to purchase what Industry has contrived ; or when Fashion does Industry the honour to run into i-ts debt. In' a word, I have never found, in any part of the world, a more unaffected desire to see, serve, or amuse, a stranger, whe- ther information or curiosity be his motive ; or more general good sense, in union witH good manners, than in the inhabi- tants of Birmingham. — Gleaner. * It is singular that a predilection for Birmingham is enter- tained by every denomination of visitants. A pavior, of the name of O'Brian, only meant to stop one night in Birmingham, in his way from London to Dublin ; but, instead of pursuing his journey next morning, as intended, he had continued in the place thirty-five years j and, though fortune had never ele- 27^ SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. in many cases, acquired fortunes. The law of congregation, as the naturaHsts call it, operates here very powerfully in all seasons, bringing the good folks of the town regularly together in the evening, and for an hour or two after dinner, into the certain public houses, nick-named, smoke-shops, where they discuss the topic of the day over a cup of good ale. I wish to lay a stress upon the epithet good, for, were it other- wise, in vain might the landlord bow, and the the landlady apologize : no attonement could possibly be made; the most elegant parlour would be deserted for the meanest tap-room. It is by no means uncommon, after the usual salutations and greetings, to ask one another, as a most important (juestion, " Where is the best tap ? " Some of these smoke-shops are spa- cious, and not inelegant rooms, provided with ventilators, maps, gazetteers, and every other accommodation for smoking a pipe, reading a newspaper, and drinking a glass of genuine ale — ale, not supplied by public brewers, but manufactured by the landlords themselves, with the most anxious attention, as, on the quality of this beloved beverage depends their fortune and their fame. The company, though enveloped in smoke, vatcd him above the pebbles of the street, he had never re- pented bis stay. WARWlCltSHTRE STATION". 273 bcal-s no resemblance to the lumpish, boor- ish beings, that arc hiuldled together in a Dutch Treckscluiyte, which the Gleaner has so pleasantly and accurately described. So far from the conversation being confined to the in- sipid subject of trade, it is varied and jocose, t-eplcte with anecdote, and often enlivened by a toast and a song. The landlord mingles with his customers, acting as a kind of arbiter de- gantiarum, and contributing all that is in his power to their accommodation and festivity. The most illustrious of tliese assemblies are Tomlinsonsj in Friday^street; Poet Freeth's, in Bell-street; and Lynden's, in Peck-lane. All these have their several attractions, and the first and last are enthusiastically attached to the King and constitution of this country. Though their loyalty may begin, it does not end in fume. Here let any one, at his peril, sit or stand with his head covered when the sa- cred song of God mve the King is sung. Here, during the late war, was promulgated, in large and golden characters, a salutary admonition to the sons of sedition to fly the hallowed ground, procul, procul este profani ! I beg par- don ; the inscriptions were in plain Enghsh as follows, no jacobins admitted. It is well worth the while of any stranger, and of a Gleaner in particular, to visit these temples of festivity ; VOL. I, T 274 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. if he can bear the cloud of fumigation, anci stand the fire of a phalanx of pipes, he will learn more of the customs, manners, and habits, of this class of the inhabitants in a single evening than I could describe in a -^vhole vo- lume. Two of the above-mentioned landlords are likewise deserving of a few touches of the bio- graphical pencil. Samuel Tomlinson, who has chosen the head of the great lexicographical Johnson as his sign, is a host whose manly civihty will please without any danger of dis- gusting. Versed in military tactics, he was appointed adjutant to the late Loyal Birming- ham Association; and, though his education has been slender, his intellect is vigorous, and his memory retentive. lie is an excellent news- paper politician, and a self-taught geographer. John Freeth, the Birmingham bard, who " writes songs., finds tunes, and sings them, too," is venerable for his years, respectable for his pro- bity, and distinguished by home-spun wit and good-humoured satire. He is one of the best political ballad writers and election poets in the kingdom. ]\Iany strangers make a point of visiting this sprightly septuagenarian, whose voice is a little affected by years, but whose easy poetry trickles almost as freely from his pen as ever. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 275 The Birmingliam people are by no means ex- pensive epicures*. A turtle feast would be con- sidered as a phenomenon, and none of our taverns, though some of them are elegant and well supplied, can boast such a costly catalogue of dainties as is exhibited at the Bush Tavern, in Bristol. One of the chief luxuries of a Bir- miugham mechanic is a leg of mutton, with turnips and caper-sauce. This is the common. public-house wager, and is generally eaten for supper. A stranger, likewise, will be surprised to hear the town- criers almost every evening, except Sunday, announcing tripe and cow-heel ready at seven o'clock. From the vulgarity of sound, and this early hour of preparation, you will naturally suppose this said trijDC and cow- heel to be the food of the lower classes. No such thing ; it is in such high request, that the price is raised beyond the poor man's pocket ; and it is no uncommon thing for respectable manufacturers to traverse half the town in quest of it. The cookery of this dainty is, I believe, peculiar to themselves; and, after being duly proclaimed by the bell-man, it is divided i \ into threepenny or sixpenny cuts, and devoured with the rapacity of a Greenlander at a whale feast. Genteel families have been known to send from the distance of three or four miles for a quantity of double tinpe, for the purpose T 2 276 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. of being served up In China tureens, aniMst the more elegantfai'rago of a fashionable sup* per. So' much for the genius of our meetings of this class, as far as respects eating and drink* ing. Ale, you will perceive, is its nectar ; and its ambrosia boiled legs of mutton, tripe, cow-heel, and greafy pudding. Here ano- ther explanation is necessary. Greati/, or ra- ther groaty pudding, (for I know not its or- thography,) is made of shins of beef, and groats, (that is, drietl oats stripped of their husks,) and^ after being well seasoned with salt and pepper, is baked in ovens. Not many years ago it had the honour, like tripe, of being publicly proclaimed, and is still in high esti- mation, as a winter dish. Hot grey-pease were likewise formerly cried about the streets in an evening, but they seem at present to have lost their vogue. Let not these things be consider- ed as degrading the dignity of communication : it may be matter of useful curiosity to know what is the favourite diet of these hardy and ingenious *' artificers in brass ancl iron." In the local diversions, I see nothing singular or striking: in summer, we have the theatre and Vauxhall, and, in winter, concerts, balls-, and card-assemblies. The better sort seemed attached to the amusement of bowling, and the WARWICKSHIRE STATION". 27T lower classes have thc'ir five-courts and skittle- g?'oumls. Not many years ago, the public- houses had marble alleys, where children, from five to six feet high, and some of them even grey with years, were seen playing at taxg, with the eagerness, but not with the innocence, of infants, their game being frequently interrupted by brawls, and sometimes bloodshed. Our magistrates, however, look on these vulgar dissipations with a keen and corrective eye; and have lately, much to their honour, enfor- ced the statutes against profane swearing and drunkenness. The populace, from time imme- morial, have been addicted to bull-baiting ; but the loyal volunteers of this town, under the direction of the police, rescued their last bull, sword in hand, from its persecutors, and lodged him safely in our dungeon. This action being achieved, with military parade, exposed them to the ridicule of the disappointed populace, and perhaps might not have gained them the thanks of the late secretarj'^-at-war, but cer- tainly deserves praise from every man of sense and humanity. Our theatre is accounted handsome and com- modious, and of a size well adapted to the hu- man voice, Avithout straining its powers. The dramatic host, Mr. IVIacready, caters for the public with taste and spirit, bringing down, 27S SUPPLEMETffTARY GLEANINGS, every year, the most celebrated London per-, fomieris. Kemble and his sister have given splendour to our boards. Last summer, the manly tones of Cooke resounded through the house, which was afterwards captivated by the Anglo- Italian, vocalissima, Billington. For want of sufficient materials, T am obliged to defer the brightest features in the Birmingham character, and must with reluctance, but with fidelity, proceed to its shaded parts. Accept the following remarks on a subject which has escaped the notice of our Birmingham historians. I cannot conceal the prominent vi- ces of my fellow-townsmen, but am compelled to confess, that their ingenuity too frequently takes a direction injurious to the pubhc, and fatal to themselves. Possessing superior skill, in the nia- jiagementand mixture of metals, and cursed with an unfortunate flexibility of talent, whenever trade stagnates, or want assails, they feel no scru- ple in committing a crime, which is considered hy our laws as an usurpation of sovereignty. Though warmly attached to his ^lajesty's per- son and governm.ent, they take shameful liber- ties with his sacred image and superscription. Not many years ago, the whole kingdom was deluged by our spurious halfpence and far- things ; but thi? opprobrium is now so happily removed, that honour has succeeded to infamy, WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 279 and genuine copper to adulterated brass. The presses of Soho have completely vindicated our character, by producing a coinage, unrivalled in correctness, elegance, and weight. It is a great pity that this admirable apparatus, which can coin witli ease twenty tons of copper per week, should be confined to that metal only. There having been no great effusion of legi- timate silver from the mint, since the reign of William III. our currency is in such a depre- ciated, miserable state, as to be counterfeited witli great facility and audacity. Thousands of bad half-crowns, shillings, and sixpencesj are fabricated in this town, of all descriptions ;lind denominations, ^rt^*, plated, cast goods, &c. for ,^he definition of which, consult Colqu- houn's excellent Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis. For this we may, in the fjrst place, tliank the inadequacy of our laws ; statutes thai do not bite, and provisions that do not apply. The fact is, they are too old and impotent to overtake modern offenders ; most, jf not all of them, having been enacted previous to the esta- bhshment of the button-manufactory iti thia country ; and it is well known, that the same tools, implements, and even colouring mate- rials, are used in making a button * as in coun- * J saw this process. — Gleaner, 280 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAKIN'GS. terfeiting a shilling*. One of the most recent of these statutes passed in the reign of Wil- liam III. applies to milled money only, and many of our bad silver pieces arec^^; and, to add to the mischief, the parliamentary allow- ance, for prosecuting offenders, is too scant}', feeing fixed at 600/. per annum in the time of Queen Anne, and not since augmented, though the evil has increased a hundred fold. Gold coins are counterfeited here, particu- larly seven-shilling pieces, but not in the same abundance as sUver ; and the fame of our work- men has gone forth into other lands, by having most officiously fabricated black dogs for the West Indies, sequins for Turkey, and pagodas for Bengal. Nor are their achievements, with respect to the crimen falsi, confined to metals : they can not only gild without gold, but, in makinp: and smashing -of screaves, have display- ed great genius and heroism. These words, my friend, will, in vain, send you to your dictionary; not even Bailey, so abundant in cant tti'ms, will explain this gibberish. It is from the Birmingham mint, and signifies nei- ther more nor less than making and uttering counterfeit Rank of England notes. The issu- ing paper, of small value, has thinned the ranks of ingenious iniquity in this place. Vast sums have been expended in prosecutions, but I WARWICKSHIRE STATIOX. 281 hope the gallows lias not groaned in vain; and, as some of the veteran sinners perished in the late awful executions, at Washwood-heath, near this town, there is reason to believe that this dreadful blood-stained manufactory is at an end. * About tlie commencement of the late war, one of our artists counterfeited French assig- nats <^ith such minute exactness as to puzzle the nicest examination. In vain had our ene- mies employed the fnst-rate talents in con- structing their paper, and engraving their dics- Nothing could resist Birmingham ingenuity, stinmlated by the mak-siuida fames ; but why do I mention such an ignoble rnotiv^e? The aim of the fabricator was great, glorious, and patriotic, being no less than to demolish the whole fabric of the revolution, by destroying the paper basis on whiqh it rested. But, alas ! magnis, eacidit ausis, the poor fellow was nei- ther fortunate enough to impair the French fi- nances nor improve his own, being tricked out of his paper Excfiequer, by a set of French swindlers. The riots that have convulsed Birmingham, of late years, have spread a terrific idea of its character. I say of late years, for, previous to 1791, I know of no public commotion in the town. All was peace and harmon\'; "the £S2 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. •voice of labour sung away its cares ; " and of tliat tremendous event I wish to say little, for little do I know. The explosion was sudden and unexpected ; all Bedlam seemed to be let loose : the torch of the Furies blazed. An jawftd mystery hangs over the whole, which U'ill, perhaps, never be developed, until the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed. Per- mit me to throw the veil of charity over horrors which something perhaps might be said to ex- tenuate, but nothing to justify. It miglit be said, and I verily believe it to be true^" that the vices of the Birmingham populace are the ebullitions of their virtues ; — the excesses of good principles ill-directed, and loyalty run mad. It might be said, — " sed manum dt For some time after this dreadful outrage, a coldnesss, generated by mutual suspicion, took place between the Churchmen and Dissen- ters; but, not long ago, they most cordially united in promoting a play for the benefit of their respective seminaries of education, name* ly, the Blue-coat and P;irk-street Schools, both of which are excellent institutions for the in- fant orphan poor. And, as there are inost worthy people of both descriptions, and as kindred particles of mind, as well as matter, attract each other, I see with pleasure their WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 283 approximation ; and venture to predict that, steeping all the past in oblivion, Birmingham will become one and indivisible, when tlie dis- cordant materials, the " i.ron and clay, ia the gigantic statue" of France, will burst asunder or crumble to pieces. Since the above deplorable event, there was a commotion in this town which did honour to the moral feehngs of his inajestif, the mob. It was occasioned by the murder of a soldier in a brothel, which the populace resented, by gutting the houses of certain impures, and throwing their furniture into the street. Since that period, there have been two partial insur- rections, the one in 1795 and the other in 1800, both of which Avere, I fear, excited by that powerful agent that " breaketh- through stone walls." In these dreadful years of scarcity, the mob, women and boys chiefly, rendered frantic by famine, attacked a steam-mill, in the town, that grinds flour; the mischief they did was trifling, and they were easily quelled; but, as is usual in such cases, innocence was involved in the destruction. And here I cannot help remarking, that the mobs in this town differ from most others in the respect, and even reverence, they have uniformly shewn to the houses of the magis- trates and peace-officers. So far from burning 2S4 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. tlieir houses, or threatening their lives, (as was the case in London, from the days of Wat Tyler and Jack Cade, to the last disgraceful riot,) they have never been known to in- sult their rulers, even in their maddest mo- ments ; but, on the contrary, have listened to their admonitions with an attention not to be expected froin the '^ many-headed monster.'* This confirms what I have above asserted, that, though their passions are warm and violent, their hearts are good, and their principle^ sound. No dangerous convulsions can ever happen in future, as the rabble are bridled not only by the barracks, but by the Binningham Loyal Volunteers, which, though now in a torpid * state, can soon be waked into new life and vigour. Having finished the unpleasant part of the sketch, I shall, in my next and concluding letter, endeavour to describe the public cha- rities of the town, together with its trade and manufactures. This is an arduous task ; for it is difficult to trace who made the first buckle or button. "Wonders, we know, have been performed in little more than a hundred years, * The torpidity here spoken of has now grown, by t}ie mi- litary passion of the times and preparation for events, into an almost constant, yet unwearied, principk of action.— G%T^\- XER. WARWICKSniRC STATION". 2S5 but by whom, and at what precise periods, is, ill many cases, very dubious and uncertain. Af any persons^ who, on the score of ingenuity and invention, deserved the appellation of be- nefactors to the town, were humble in their origin, confined in their circumstances, or ob- scure in their stations; aiid it is- a lamentable fact, that their names, having never been re- corded in the. page of history, have faded from the tablet of living memory. Some, who moved in a liigher sphere, or whose inventions or improvements were more striking, or, being crowded into a smaller compass of time, shone with greater splendour, are not unknown to fame. I will endeavour to rescue as many of the rest as I possibly Can from the gulph of oblivion, but I do most solemnly assure you, " Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto." I am, ]\Ii'. Gleaner, Sec. j; Morfitt. -\IY ingenious correspondent having obser- ved, in one of his letters, that " there could be no necessity for giving all his papers in a se- ries; my plan admitting the introduction of other matter, direct or collateral ; " and that it might, indeed, "be the most pleasant so to va- 285 SUPPLEJIENtARY GLEANINGS. rieoate the information," I shall now proceef! with my own collections: which, ineifect, wiilin some measure serve in the way of commenta- ry to his text, — mdny of the same ohjects- being discussccl. In my first traverse, about eleven in the forenoon, after the glut of the market morn- ing already described, the general tranquillity, and, by comparison, the scanty traffic and throng in the streets appeared almost inconsis- tent with the constant spirit of commerce that is known to animate the place. I had now leisure for uninterrupted attention to those diversified objects of still life, which engage the eye of the passenger on • every side. I examined the endless variety of splendid or delicate in- ventions, which the shop of Richards, and numerous other persons, displayed to the admiring view. I beheld, through a single pane of glass, sufficient to decorate the dres- sing table of an oriental princess ! and, through another, piles of more solid articles, wrought, in gold and silver, to the polish of the most exquisite mirror. I passed composedly on, in the spirit of the liermit, '' Sedate to diink, and watching each event.'* The libraries, of course, did not pass ncg- Warwickshire station. 237 lected. Those merely of the circulating kind niiglit, in this town, as in every other, he well called toyshops for the head, and not impro-' perly succeeded those I had left for the eye, with less, perhaps, of ingenious exertion, or sterling value, yet mo»e of tinsel and show. But, in Birmingham, there are few literary toy- shops which are independent of more estimable matter; and some there are who wholly ex- clude tliese vapours of tl>e brain. Passing^ on, my curiosity was much excited by ob- serving, at the window, of Piercy, in Bull- street, a most taking title; to a Gleaner more especially, and which I shall here subjoin, in a note.* * "The Life and Adventures of Job Nott, Buckle-ma- ker, of Birmingham; first Cousin to the celebrated Button Burnisher ; and Author of Adiice to siindrt/ Sorts of FoUcs. A3 WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. Witb here and there a CAP for Ihosu that they'll fit; Here and there a DRESSING for those that have sore place* ; And here and there a FLOGGING for those that deserve it. To which was added the following appropriate mottoes : Seesi th-iu a man diligent in his business ? Jlils mansliall stand before Kings. He that soweth iniquity sh
e : but Poverty's tale should he heard with patience. It is a time to be more tender-hearted and more liberal than common. Many who talk to you have hardly strength to talk ; — the bread many- obtain will hardly satisfy the cravings of nature. A sensible and discreet elderly man and his wife, without children, at a good salary, to make it perfectly wortb tteii; while,, ^©uld*, in my opinion, be engaged by you, whose sole business it should be to visit the out-poor; and, in a book, for your inspection, a daily account should be kept of the poor they have visited. Thus the more modest poor would be distinguished from the clamorous and imposing crew j and, when the town can afford it. A LARGE POOR-HOUSE -i0 should be built to take all in that want such comfort. This house ought to be built in a way that the poor might be diyi- ded ; for its shocking that a reduced decent person should bo obliged to herd with the vilest and the dirtiest of the human WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 291 After a very strict and general inquiry into this subject, pursuing it through every direc- S[)ccics. Tlicre should be work-rooms also, and every body obliged to work that can. VISITING THE POOR. White I am tipon this subject, I cannot help recommending this great charity to the rich, who have no idea of the wretch- edness of the poor. I would advise them to look at their beds, and examine into all their wants. It would have a two-fold good, — nay, a ten-fold good. The poor, in proportion as they were visited, advised, and relieved, would become more and more clean, and, consequently, more healthy; — it would be an irksome task at first, but it would be a Christian's task, and every time be more agreeable. BROTHER ARTIFICERS, The badness of trade, and the dcarness of bread, certainly makes the shoe pinch bard ; but necessity is the mother of in- vention, and we should all, when we are in a great strait, set our thoughts to work to make the best of a bad bargain. At any rate, let it not be our care to make had worse, either by idleness, drunkenness, or wastefulness. God Almighty has been good to us a great many years. Think what distress other countries have suffered while we have been fed to the full. One word more, and I have done. I wish you all happy, as you well know; and, as I wish your children to grow up to your credit, and their own advantage, you should rise early ari3 work hard, and give your wives all the money you caa get, that they may not be obliged to go out for work, but stay at home with their children; for, unless that is the case^ children are so badly nursed that, if they live, which is a chance, they grow up with all kinds of diseases. Behave du- tifully and respectfully to those neighbours whom God's Pre- U2| 292 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. tion, I have accumulated reasons for believing that.no papers have had a more impressive or vidence has placed in superior situations to yourselves, and he will, my word for it, raise you Up helping friends. Act as I liave advised, and you'll be happy. MY SISTER ARTIFICERS. i must now talk a little to you, for the happiness of this town depends more upon you than many are aware of — the children put to bed — a good fire — a clean hearth — a tidy wife — and pleasant looks - fixes a man snug in his two arm- ed chair ; and, instead of the evening being spent with a bro- ther drunkard and a tankard, it is spent with a kind wife and a book. If more of this took place, we should not see the misery we do. If, my sister artificers, you would buy every thing at the best hand, full weight, and full measure, your husband's mo- ney would go half as far again, — management ! management ! is every thing. . I know a man who never got above ten shil- lings a week, who reared eight children, and saved a hundred pounds. But his wife was a good manager. But the great misfortune is, that many women who marry, in our great town, know nothing about household affairs. Cooking and sewing they know no more of than clock-making. There is an insti- tution, and ere long I hope to see more of them, — to teach the young women, who are growing up, how to become useful wives. Hitherto it has been the unfortunate practice, in tins town, to make the female part of every poor family SHOP WENCHES. They go in young and innocent, but, too often, by mixing with men and impudent boys, become depraved and debauched characters. All that they can db is to burnish and file, &c. "and all that they get is spent in fine clothes and drop ear-rings; WARWICKSHIRE STATION, 293 extensive effect on the lower classes of the people, since the Drapier s Letters of Swift, and their delight is to sing and dance at twopenny hops ; and walk about the streets to show themselves. To such, I fear, it is in vain to preach ; but, to the rising generation of fe- males, I would say a word. If it be possible, fix upon that sort of work which you can do at home. If you cannot do this, engage yourselves where you can work with your own sex, out of the hearing of the vulgarity and obscenity which your ears are too often obliged to hear. What you get spend in useful things rather than ornamental; fill up your time by- learning that which all wives ought to know. I wish that several good women would set up schools to teach these useful arts, for to learn those things, my sister artificers, would answer your end in every point pf view, — you would be more independent of others, aod you would marry sooner and better. For when a sober young man, of common sense and industry, is looking out for a "wife, he does not look for a bold, dressy creature, that can burnish, and file, and sing, and dance, and dress, and strut about the streets with drop ear-rings; but one that can read, and spin, and sew, and knit, and mend, and make,- and boil his mut- ton, and brew a peck of malt, and wash, and iron. 'And ex- ample draws where precept fails. And what is to be expected from children who witness the return of every Sunday with- out one effort, on the parents part, to go to church. This is a very melancholy evil, and will do a great deal to undo all that is done for the children, at so much expense, kindness, and labour. MEN MILLI>IER3. While I was writing to the shop wenches not to do men's work, it seemed to me that it was equally improper for men. 294 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. t?ian the publications of Job Nott. Although there were plenty of writers in the good cause, their books were not only too expensive, but they were written in a style less likely to arrest- the attention of the common working people. Government had nothing to fear from people of property. It was from the nume- rous hardy poor that this country had every thing to dread. Neither were the lower orders at all disposed to take council from the rich, whose advice they were taught to suspect : therefore, better educated epistles were, as to them, nearly useless. It, therefore, oc- curred to Job, who had Avitnessed the good effects of a little thing by Joim Nott, to claim to do that which roore properly belcnged to women. How ri- diculous is it to see a great fellow, six feet high, di ngling along the street with a band-box, or twisting himself behind the counter, in a hundred forms, with " this is a neat feather, I'll put it in at half-a-crown." These Jemm) s, who rob the tvomen of their proper employment, may be the cause of much mischief in society, by laying temptations in their way, to get money otherwise. I hive desired my Betty to lay out all her money with the women miliiners, even should it cost a trifle more. Natui-e, when Jemmy's clay was blending, Uncertain what the thing would end in, Whether a fiemale or a male, A pin dropt in and turned the scale. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. QgS a relationship; and, by addressing them in their own way, seize their attention, while he instilled into their minds morality and loy- alty; and Job himself tells us, he " has reason to believe that great good has been done by these simple addresses, both to the people themselves, to government, and to the country : " not only the well-disposed were kept in statue guo, but Ja- cobinism was checked, by its abettors being con- stantly held up to ridicule. From Bull- street I ascended the hill, which is crowned with one of the most conspicuous and justly-celebrated of tlie pubUc buildings, the church of St. Philip's. The ground that encircles it has been called, and not improper- ly, one of the most spacious and attractive in England. But it is, like most others, exposed to many irreverent practices, from which pla- ces consecrated to the dead ought to be ex- empted. ;My esteemed correspondent has struck at this with becoming spirit, but I must go more at length into the subject. New church-yard is a common thoroughfare, in several directions. I object, in the first in- stance, to this, but far less than to what pas- ses in it, from the twilight to deep in the night hour. The boys and girls are no sooner loosed from the schools and manufactories thai^ they throng, in shoals, into the hallowed spot, as a Q96 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. play-ground. They are seen at leap-frog over the graves, at marbles on the tomb-stones, at chuck-farthing, the skipping rope, and at driving the top and the hoop round the walks ; while the scream, the shout, and the curse, are heard, to the annoyance of every chaste ear, and the pain of every feeling heart. Nor is this, perhaps, the worst; for, as the nigbt deepens, a contemplative man, who loves to pass the pensive hour in a holy place, is prevented, as it were, from holding a communion with the dead, by the wanton disturbers, who add sacrilege to obscenity. But, on the Sunday evenings, these indeco^ rums are still more reprehensible. It is then that the prescribed duties of public worship, in the former parts of the day, are inverted. The ignorance and idleness — for the offen- ders are, in general, too young and too illite- rate to commit a wilful crime — of the whole town, seem then to be emptied into the church- yard. It is then the boys and girls, from five to twelve years of age and upwards, meet to- gether, without parent, pastor, or guide, and are turned over to their own devices. They dance in rings upon some of the flat tomb- stones • the smaller ones play at hide and seek, among the graves; — they fling handfuls of the new mould at each other, and shout in AFARWICKSHIRE sf Atiox. 29/ - triumph, or cry in defeat. The larger boys hunt one another; one acts as the hare, the rest as the hounds. They absokitely run one another down, in this mock chase, and do not give up the pursuit, till their legs, hands, and voices, are uq longer able to sustain their wan- ton diversions. The little violators jump for wages over the dead, to see how many more graves one trespasser can leap than another; and, still worse, soldiers are mustered and roll called in this devoted place. You will judge of the situation in which the burial grounds of this town are left by these lit- tle sabbath-breakers. Yet, this ve;-y church- yard is one of the fashionable walks of the place, and I am just come frOm seeing some very genteel people, of both sexes, taking the round of the beautiful* trees which form the mall, but I did not perceive, in any of their countenances, the least degree of that irreve- rence which had so offended me ; although I cannot have a doubt but they were, in general, alive to worthy and delicate sensations. Cus- tom, however, makes us "scarce see or hear what is daily presented to our eyes and ears ; which may account for all the living inhabi- tants, if I may so say, of the church-yard being blind and deaf to this indecorum. To un- derstand what I mean by living. inhiU)itants, you 29S SUPPLEMENTAIIV GLEANINGS. must be told, that one of the most poUte parts of this great town is a semicircle of elegant houses, which have the spire for their vista, and the graves of thousands for their prospect. Perhaps, from that very reason, they see what the latter rioters are, constantly, and what look- ing upon, less than any other of their townsmen. It may, indeed, be questioned, arguing from the force of habits, whether they hear the bells. I trust that readers of any purity of mind will not deem these remarks either severe or unnecessary : more mischief arises from the practice than is generally known. This early habit of rendering the repositories of death fa- miliar, and, as it were, sporting with the dust and bones of our forefathers, takes off the just sense and pious awe which such places are calculated to inspire ; it lessens the respect we bear sacred things, till they lose their im- ])ression and their merit. The last duties, which are paid by human beings to each other, are very tender and very solemn. In this im- mense church-yard, which is loaded with the mortality of eighty years, there are thousands of living inhabitants, who have a parent, or child, or friend, committed to that spot. It must often happen that some of those living persons amongst other passengers approach the narjow cells where their kijisfolk are laid. What . WAUM'ICKSHIRE STATIO^f. 299 must be their sensations at the view of any of the irreverences I have describecl? This oifence against decency and aiFection might easily be uvoided. The saving.of a pit- tance of ground is all that can, in general, be gained, by making a church-yard a thoroughfare. It should be lucked up, as a few, indeed, are, ex- cept when the interesting offices, to which they should alone be devoted, are to be performed. This simple mode would not only prove an ef- fectual bar to the evils I have enumerated, but it would restore the sacred ideas, which always associate with the grave and with death, when the mind is left free to natural emotions. I cannot hastily quit this subject, without noticing a still more atrocious practice in many country church-yards, where the sheep * and pigs, belonging to the farmer, are allowed to gTPcze and evitable among the dead ; and even the horses of the rector or vicar (the curate usually waits the power to commit the offence,) are turned to grass among his late parish- ioners and congregation.-}" * I was concerned to perceive, in my recent visit to South- ampton, the like indecent circumstance prevail in the church- yard of St. Mary's. I counted eight cows feeding on the ver- dure of the graves; and, on inquiry, find it was a commoa practice. t I must moreover, in this place, take occasion to desire such of my brother travellers as are somewhat infidel, on the 300 SUPPLEMEJTTARY GLEANINGS. A most attaching object, and in perfect keep- ing with this, next caught my view, I mean the charity-school.* Never could any edifice be subject of dressing the Welch graves, mentioned in the fore- going letter, to give themselves the trouble of going to see the church-3'ards in the places described, or, at least, making a fair inquiry, before they are so free in'theuseof the words " overcharged, improbable, impossible," &c. * liutton tells us, that this artificial family consists of about ninety scholars, of both sexes, orer which preside a governor and governess, both single. Behind the apartments is a largo area, appropriated for the amusement of the infant race, ne- cessary as their food. Great decorum is preserved in this little society, who are supported by annual contribution, and by a collection made after sermon twice a year. At twelve or fourteen, the children are removed into the commercial world^ and often acquire an affluence, that enables them to support that foundation which formerly supported them. It is worthy of remark, that those institutions, which are immediately upheld by the temporary hand of the giver, flou- rish in continual spring, and become real benefits to society ; while those which enjoy a perpetual income are often tinc- tured with supineness, and dwindle into obscurity. The first usually answers the purpose of the living, the last seldom that of the dead.' He adds, that, about thirty years ago, the Dissenters esta- blished a school, upon nearly the same plan as the former, consisting of about eighteen boys and eight girls, with this im- provement, that the boys are inured to moderate labour, and the girls to house-work. The annual subscriptions seem to be willingly paid, thank- fully received, and judiciously expended. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 301 more congenially placed, and its emblems are most affectingly appropriate. Our first impressions, when the heart is their source, and benevolence the object that draws them from their fountain, may generally be trusted, and are never to be suspected of an unworthy motive. The figures of a charity boy and girl, in the uniform of the institution, are placed over the door; and executed, as Mr. Hutton observes, with a degree of ekgance, that a Roman statuary would not have, blushed to own. But I was more touched M'ith the modest posture and character in these little images. They looked all that pious gratitude could have spoken ; and perhaps the excess of every great sensation depends rather on the eloquence of silence than words. The primary idea, on surveying this fair edifice, on the very edge of the church-yard, and inhabited by a rising generation, was extremely interesting, I considered it as a nursery of life to re- pair the waste of death ! a repository, filled with a succession of beings, to supply the loss of those, by the ravages of that power, who had trampled under foot so many hundreds of generations — thousands might, with equal truth, have been the word, and within a few solemn paces of that nursery. I entered the school, and the same idea gained strength at every step, 502 SUPPLEMEjyTARt- GLEAXINGS. and at every glance. My mind ran into the most penetrating associations. IVith the speed of thought, I passed on from time present, wlien all was life, youth, and animation, to the time advancing, Avhen every creature shall be cover- ed with dust, and the grass wave over their bones, even as it does over the mouldered heaps Avhich form the immediate prospect from the seminary! The simplest thoughts often touch most deeply, when the mind is pensively ex- cited. I never felt a more aAvful moment. As I was returning from hence, by the beau- tiful rano;es of trees that surround the burial- ground, I encountered a person in a more than half-worn suit of sables, with quick violent step, jet solemn air, pacing the avenue. He passed me with a swift foot, and, after glan- cing eager frowns, from a sallow visage^ he thrust into my hand, without either ceremony or speech, the following card : On Swearing. - Weak is the excuse that is on cn?itom built. The use of sinning lessens not the guilt. r. sin BOEEnT BOiLE. " Stop for a moment ! Carefully consider thou that hast thus long continued the career of cor- ruption, and sacrificed thy soVil at the shrine of sin and folly. ** Thou shalt not take the name WARWICKSHIRE STATION'. 303 ef the Lord thy God in 'cain.'" Dost thooi dare to tempt omnipotence, or violate his holy law, written also in thy heart? Attend to the still small voice of conscience — poor cowardly crea- ture, whose existence depends on his will, and life is but a span ; thou knowest not that the morrow shall be thine : what hast thou to plead ? a vice without a gratification ! This nation groans greatly beneath the sin of swearing. Blush for thy past folly, and crave help, for thy future amendment, of him who can again re- new thee ! Initiate thyself into virtuous free- dom. Truth needs not tattered ornaments to adorn, but, simply arrayed, it sweetly persuades. The God of all truth, even Christ, who is willing to be thy Redeemer, hath commanded his followers, " Szcear not at all.'" Forsake the foolish, and live a new life even to his glory ; for time is short, and altogether uncertain the grant." I afterwards understood that the circulator of the card had taken the country im differ- ent directions; sometimes on foot, sometimes in carriages, but more frequently on the roofs or boxes of these, distributing from his satchel or his pockets similar admonitions, as well to the inhabitants of the towns through wbieti he went as to his feRow-passengers, and to persons he encou»tered on the road. 304 SUPPLiEMENTARY GLEANINGS. Not seldom, as he journeyed on, or paused by the way, did he harangue the mob, particu- larly upon the sin which was stigmatized in his printed paper. The enthusiasm might, perhaps, from being too broad and strong, affect his transient auditors with that ridicule, which is even, in grave dispositions, almost inseparable from ludicrous gesture and manners ; instead of exciting pious awe, that the truths he inculcated might require. And, possibly, he might travel with a wounded mind ; his heart, nevertheless, might be sincerely warmed, by a devotion, genuine, though irregular and in- formal. We should think well before we set down to the account of a wild and warp- ed imagination what breathes the sph^it, at least, though it is not uttered in the still small voice of a more disciplined and temperate expression. It is with concern I add, that had he — good man ! — circulated sacks of these little warnings, on the vice in question, there might have been found appropriate receivers in the lower classes, that at particular periods of the day and night crowd the streets of Birmingham. While I was yet following the train of the foregoing reflections, my ears were assailed by the sudden confusion of so many clamorous voices, and clattering feet, that I absolutely startled with alarm, till I found the occasion of it. This wa9 no other than the noon-tide WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 305 shoals that were poured from the different ma- nufactories almost in countless multitudes to take their dinner. All ages and sexes, all shapes and sizes, dresses and almost undresses, from neatness down to rags, and nearly to nakedness, were thronging tumultuously along every path , of this church-yard, which could scarcely have appeared more crowded had its graves given up their inhabitants. I followed several knots and trains in the direction of the avenue wherein I stood ; and had but too pow- erful a manifestation of the prevalence of the sin reprobated in the card ; oaths, no less un- provoked than dire, were to be heard on all hands, though uttered more in wantonness, from continued bad habit than from any bad intention : and j-et, in general, per- liaps without the idea of the wickedness of the practice. At the same time, a vast con- course of the persons then hurrying forward were eager only to reach their repast^ and pro- ceeded to their respective destinations, without the least offence whatever to manners or morals, and earnest to make the most of the narrow interval betwixt labour and refreshment. I hasted to different parts of the town, and observed every street I could reach loaded in the like way, to the like end ! The industrious bees, which lie mostl^^ concealed, during the day, VOL. I. X 30^ SUPPLEitENTAfet GLEAJflKGS. in the warehouses, or workshops, either hig*h irt air, or deep under the earth, seemed to have left their hives and cells, to wander awhile ill Search of a transient meal, and then return to their short-suspended labours. I had, you know, been examining- the silent effects of the diversified beauties and utilities that, in so ex- traordinary a degree, embellish the exterior of this wonderful and ever-busy place ; and I now had in view the no less wonderful active caused-^ And, besides the pleasure (barring the above- mentioned drawback) of observing so many hundreds (thousands still escaping unseen) of persons, continually employed, repairing to the comforts which awaited them at their homes, in reward of that employment it \vas a specu- lation not a little curious, to consider that such tribes of dusky dark-looking beings were the artificers — often the inventors — of those graceful and elegant ornaments, and of those gorgeous and more expensive articles which are so much coveted, and add so much to the imaginary, if not real importance of the rich and beautiful. A more composed spectator would have gone with the subject, and all that associated therewith, into its philosophical retirements. Hurried as I was by a variety of circumstances, thus whirling immediately under my eye, I felt, very impressively, the connection betwixt all ranks ^WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 307 &ikI conditions and classes of men ; and percei- ved the force of that union, which arises from the depentlence of one on the help of the other, towards the general harmonious move- Jnents of society. I beheld, in clear illustra- tion, that, considering the present forms and usages of the world, this was right, and as it should be; and though, after I had with- drawn from the public scene to the private apartment where I have been writing this ac- count, some heavy reflections accompanied me, to leaven the satisfaction, I was, on the whole, much gratified with my morning's tour. In confidence that this gratification will travel unimpared to you, or at least so much of its unevaporated spirit as can be folded in paper, I bid you, with genuine heart, Farewell. MUCH had I heard of the drinking-houses in this place, so famous, as Mr. Morfitt observes, for good ale, and justly called smoke-shops ; for, in a room twenty feet long, twelve or four- teen wide, and eight high, you may find, in aft x2 308 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEANINGS. evening, thirty or forty men, every one with a pipe in his mouth, and a glass of ale before him. In the windows are many little ventilators made of tin; and need enough there is for them. Report says, that if any of the company are wanted, the waiter, who is not permitted to call them out by name, takes a pair of bellows to disperse the smoke from the faces of the drinkers, till he finds the man he wants. This joke upon the smoke-shop frequenters, though doubtless, not literally true, prevented the Gleaner from venturing his head into such an atmosphere. Deploring the effects of these places, which must, I tear, have a tendency to injure the health and fortunes of the frequenters, I was somewhat consoled to find that they were in general, not only what my correspondent called them, " happy and hearty" but loyal souls. I wish not their principles- changed ; but I hope, if I live to see this place again, to find the habits of this class of manu- facturers a good deal changed ; for, doubtless, in addition to the bad effects to thefiisehes^ the example to their workmen must be extremely pernicious. But the upper classes here, I take a pleasure in repeating, are truely polite and hospitable. The theatre and assembly-rooms adjoining are of the first respectability. The .assembly-room, at Styles'shotel, is truly, a magni- ficent place ; and, from the beauty and fashion, WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 309 &c. with which it is filled, there is no room to doubt but that there are very many families, both in the town and its vicinity, of srreat taste, education, and refinement. Birmingham, in 1781 contained 125 streets, 12,000 houses, and 50,000 people. The annual rents about ^£'70,000. I judge the weekly- returns in trade are about the same sum as the annual rent of the buildings. In 1791, the streets were increased to 203, the houses to 12,681, and the inhabitants to 73,653; the weekly returns in trade, as to the annual rents, about c£90,000. But the unfor- tunate wiar of 1793, not only ruined the manu- factories, and' put a stop to the trowel, but, by drawing 15,000 men into the ; army, left near 3000 houses empty. This, I believe, was the first decline Birmingham ever experienced. Small indeed, observes Mr. Morfitt, in an added remark on church-yards, must have been the population of the antient town, if we may judge from the scanty portion of ground allotted for the burying- place of the Old Church, where, until the consecration of the new, " slept the rude forefathers " of the town. As the people were augmented, the human mould increased in such proportion, that, ac- cording to the facetious Birmingham historian, *' instead of the church burying the dead, the dead would soon have buried the church." SID-' SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAJflNGS, I will just note, while the fact is fresh in my view, that Birmingham is the only town, in England, in which I have ever observed the windows washed on the outside hy an engine, as in Holland : here however only partially, there, universally. Si. PauVs Square, Birmingham, (jth March, 1803. Mr. Gleaned IN my last hasty epis^^le I endeavoured to give some account of the mixed ingredients that compose the Birmingham character ; and fi"om that account, lame and imperfect as it is, you will perceive that the lower classes are liable to irritation, and violent when irritated, yet, by no means savage or intractable. I have fre- quently said, that " the liquor was rich, though the scum was foul ; ' but, on cooler reflection, think the last epithet too harsh. By way of proof, permit me to mention, what I ought to have mentioned before, their uncommon partia- lity for gardens and gardening. Like the antient Romans, the}' are all fond of cultivating their cabbages, yet not for profit, but pleasure. In WARWICKSHIKI: STATION. 311 consequence of this horticultural propensity, the town is, in every direction, bordered by gardens; and, in the language of poetrj', invested by a zone of vegetable beauty, in ^vhich are stuck, by way of grotesque orna- ments, arbours, and summer-houses of all the forms that untutored fancy can devise. Into these rural recesses, most of \yhich lie at a considerable distance, and some a mile or more from the habitations of their owners, rC' tire the merchant, manufacturer, and mecha- nic, to relieve the tcedium of the counting- Jiouse, and the labours of the workshop. Here the sons of the anvil " relax their ponderous strength." Yet, though the rural principle is triumphant, it cannot entirely extirpate the habits of the town. Many of the littie fabrics, dignified with the name of summer-houses, though in general built in a sovereign contempt of all the orders of architecture, contain a com- modious repository for their favourite beverage; and in all of them it is accounted a luxury to smoke a pipe; without this auxiliary, t\\cdivinV gloria raris looses its charms in the eyes of a Birmingham mechanic ; yet still this propensity bespeaks a refined taste, and dispositions natu- rally quiescent. Is it probable that a race of savages should erect altars to flora, or that people fond of riot, confusion, or plunder, 312 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. should take delight in the tranquil recreations of a garden.* * I must confess I was no less than my estimable correspon- nent delighted with the abundance of ground thus laid into upwards of a , thousand gardens. From the point at which I took my observation, they formed a Chinese view, with little fan- ciful temples, and various arbotirage, ^calculated for recrea- tion and use. It was refreshiiig even to think of so many thousands of ingenious creatures retiring to their flowery nooks and verdant recesses, after bending over the counter, working at the anvil, filing or nailing throughout the day. I looked at it, even with something of a tender satisfaction, as equally condu- cive to health, virtue, and domestic happiness. — Gleaker. On quitting the above prospect, I was reminded of some e?;- cellent thoughts on the utjlity of the sedentary, j^nd laborious, in large towns and cities, thus employing their leisure; and nvill here allow them a place, because the occasion' is apt, and they unite the best moral and medical advice on good autho- rity, — Ibid, " Instead of multiplying rules for preserving the health of the sedentary," says Dr. Buchan, " we shall recommend to them the following general plan, viz. That every person who fol- lows a sedcntar}' employment should cultivate a piece of ground with his own hands. This he might dig, plant, sow, and weed at leisure hours, so as to make it both an exercise and amuse- nicnt, while it produces many of the necessaries of life. After working an hour in a graden, a man will return with more iocnness to his employment within doors, than if he had been all the while idle. " I,abouring the ground is every way conducive to health. It not oiily gives exercise to every part of the body, but the very sraelJ of the earth and fresh herbs revives and cheers the spirits. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. . 313 Here are lodges of free-masons, bucks, dru- ids, odd-fellows, and knights of tlie wood. whilst the perpetuaJ prospect of something coming to maturity, delights and entertains the mind. We are so formed as to be always pleased with somewhat in prospect, however distant, or however trivial. Hence the happiness that most*men feel iii planting, sowing, building, &c. These seem to have been the chief employments of the more early ages : and, when kings and conquerors cultivated the grouhd, there is reason to believe, that they knew as well wherein true happiness consisted as we do. ** It may seem romantic to recommend gardening to manu- facturers in great towns ; but observation proves that the plan is very practicable. In the town of Sheffield, in Yorkshire, where the great iron manufacture is carried on, there is hardly a journeyman cutler who does not possess a piece of ground, wliich he cultivates as a garden : this practice has many salu- tary effects. It not only induces these people to take exercise without doors, but also to eat many greens, root, &c. of their own growth, which they would never think of purchasing. There can be no reason why manufacturers in Great Britain should not follow the same plan. It is, indeed, to be regretted, that in such a place as London, a plan of this kind is not prac- ticable; yet, even there, sedentary artificers may find oppor- tunities of taking air and exercise, if they choose to embrace them." Every true patriot will, at a time like the present, when bread is again advancing with hasty strides, endeavour to collect all the arguments which the wise and good have brought forward to lessen this growing evil : what follows is earnestly submitted. " The culture of grain is the culture of men. While the hus- Landman is raising food for his fellow-creatures, he is laying the foundation of health and longevity to himself and his cfi- 314 SUPPLEAIEXTARY GLEANINGS. To describe tliese is to me impossible ; but, I am convinced, the principle of most of them is ^ring. Innumerable benefits are connected with the culture of gtiin. While the artiticcr is «tting in some awkward pos- lure, Ui'edthing confined, ahd perhaps contaminated air, the cultivator of soil rises with the sun, eats his wholesome ir.eai of milk and fapiMaccous food, hies him to the field, where he spends bis days in useful I.iit»our, inhales the fresh breezes, and at eve returns hojnc v, ith a keen appetite to join his simple re- past and sound repose. "' It has been said, as artificers can earn more money than those who cultivate the ground, that huts ought to encouraged, and grain, of necessity, imported. No manufacture is equal to the manufacture of gra^in. It supplies food for man and beast, while the surplus, by being exported, enriches the nation. Nor is it subject to the uncertainty of other manufactures. They ol'tcn depend on fashion and caprice, but the necessaries of life will always find their value somewhere. Though I am convinced that some regulations are wanting for the encourage- ment of agriculture, I do not consider it as my province to dic- tate to the wisdom of legislature. They know their duty, and I have reason to believe that they arc inclined to pay it all due attention. '< I will venture, however, to assert, that if proper encou- i*agement were given to agriculture, Britain would, at all times, not only have a sufficiency of grain for her own consumption, but a surplus for exportation. This would contribute more to her real wealth, the happiness of her people, and the stability of her government, than either the increase of her trade, the ilouribhing of her manufacturers, or the extension of her terri- tory." ,lt is unquestionably mattci: of real regret and wonder that WAHWICKSIITOE STATION. 315 philanthropy; and of all, harmless hilarity, i The inhabitants seem to have a voracious ap- petite for reading, which is amply gratified by two large subscription libraries,* exclusive of many circulating ones, .particularly that of Mr. Lowe, our law-stationer, which, in its compli- ment of novels, romances, and other books of fancy and amusement, is perhaps exceeded iSy no other provincial collection in the kingdom. Even the working mechanics have, by a small weekly contribution, accumulated a number of useful books, which they denominate the J?'t- isVs repository. Chemical studies, so well adapted to the place, have of late become fash- Britain, at a time when agriculture is cultivated as a science, should not be able to raise grain for the supply of her "own in- habitants, but become every year more^ dependant on foreign states far evfen the necessaries of lile. Until an adequate remedy can be found for this growing evil, the free use of the various substiUites for bread cannot fail to alleviate the calamities of the poor, and Jo reduce the price of labour. The great con- sumpti' ii of animal food and the immense number pf horses kept in this country arc- 1 be reckoned among the causes of the scarcity of grain. Mr. Mackic computes the number of horses ia this country to be abbut two millions, and that every horse, on an avera;^e, consumes the produce of three fertile acres; consequently, the produce of six millions of fertile acres tn annually consumed by horses. * Pearson's is also to be distmguishcd ; so, likewise, is Grafton and Reddell's. 316 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. ionable, and even some ladies talk with facility about oxygen and azote, hydrogen and the c«r- honic acid With respect to the learned prof es- sions, this town suffers not in comparison with others of equal magnitude ; but here, as well as elsewhere, you must expect */§ome half-bred Surgeons, whom men Doctors call. And Lawyers, who were never bred at all." In Birmingham, Charity " never faileth ; " and, to its immortal honour, the hallowed flame has uniformly burnt the brightest, in the dark- est scenes of adversity and distress. Never, since the town had existence, was it more ex- liausted than during the late war ; and yet, ne- ver were its charities supported with greater vigour. We have a large, elegant, and commodious General Hospital, estabhshed in 1799, since which period have been admitted 14,988 in- patients, and 11,550 out-patients. The receipts of last year were CI 97/. 16.?. 5d. and the in- patients 803, the out-patients 655.. As the lyre of Amphion is said, in fable, to have raised the walls of Thebes, the harp of Handel may be said, in fact, to have finished this noble pile. Though begun by charity, it was perfected by the profits of an oratorio, and every three years it is ably supported by its original auxihary. The medical attendants on this institution aiQ WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 317 restricted to four physicians, and four surgeons, exclusive of the house-apothecary ; but this re- gulation is, in my humble opinion, neither very liberal nor very wise, as it necessarily excludes some men of merit, and weakens the stimulus of exertion. I see, by the last report, that twelve clergymen read prayers to the patients, by rotation, and more are requested to under- take that pious office. Is it not strange that the number of physicians of the soul should be unlimited, and that of the curators of the body, narrowed to nine, the house apothecary inclu- sive; and that these should be appointed for life, without the solicitude of re-election, os the fear of competition ? Absit invidia. I mean not to offend — the present medical assistants are, I verily believe, able and upright, skilful and conscientious ; but Where is the necessity, where the pohcy, of confining near 1500 patients to the gratuitous care and superintendence of four surgeons only, who are all of them deeply engaged in a large and lucrative private prac- tice ? If this observation is weak, let it be ex- posed ; if it is erroneous, let it be refuted : but I shall ask no man's pardon for speaking the ]ionest dictates of my heart. We have likewise an excellent Dispensary, excellent both in its plan arid its execution since the first institution of which, about nine Sl^ SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. years ago, have been admitted 9493 patients; ^nd the report of last year is as follows; 1028 fiick patients, 13.9 midwife ditto, 303 vaccine inoculation. It is most assiduously attended by three physicians, six surgeons, besides a consulting surgeon, a visiting and a dispens- ino- apothecary : but you will not find anions: its rules, the radical error of restraining the num- licr of medical assistants. Simply to mention that though the patients in the last year amount- ed to 1470, the expenditure was 330/. i6s, 9d. only, will supply the place of a more laboured eulogium. This admirable charity was formed under the auspices of Matthew Boulton, and does " honour to its creator in the days of its youth." There is a charity in this town, called the Blue Coat School, which receives children of both sexes, from the age of seven to fourteen, at which time the bo3^s are bound apprentices, and the pirls iio out to service. This is an in- stitutioa which I never contemplate but with unmixed satisfaction. I am pleased with every thing in it and about it : with its fine stone front, its airy ample rooms, and the general as- pect of health, comfort, and cleanliness, in all its apartments. The average number of children is from 100 to 150, and there is room for 150 more. It was founded in 1724, and is intirely WARWICKSHIRE STATION^. 31^ supported by voluntary subscriptions, occasi- onal legacies, and two seraions, preached every year for its benefit. The objects of this charity are friendless orphans, or the children of such pooF people as cannot supply them with food and raiment: all the children are taught tb read, write, and cast accounts; and the girls to sew, knit, and do household business. The accomplishnient of drawing has been lately added by the philanthrophical assistance of an able n^aster and admired architect, Mr* HoUis, of this town. Notwithstanding an ex* bausting war, and unproductive peace, great efforts have been made to cherish this excellent hu7nan nursery : that benevolence which first planted the *' withered twigs " continues still to " water them" with unremitting assiduity and care. It may be said, in some degree, to sup- port itself; for those who were educated here, and now move in a respectable sphere of life, have established among themselves, what they call, a Club of Gratitude, the members of which contribute a certain sum ninthly, for the purpose of recruiting that parental treasury to which they were originally indebted for the ability to contribute. The charity has likewise, for the last three years, been invigorated by the indefatio'able o-ratuitous exertions of the inp'cni- ous Mr, Weston, of Solihull, near ^lis town, a 320 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. gentleman in whom, as in one of the antient bards, are united the powers of poetry and music, and who is a perfect enthusiast in the cause of humanity. The wood-notes of Inno- cence, always pleasing, have, under his disci- pline, acquired a pathos- that sends them di- rectly to the heart. He has taught the children to chaunt, correctly, the customary parts of divine service, and to sing the occasional hymns written, set, and accompanied by him- self, in a style of precision and taste that asto- nishes those who are not acquainted with the docility of the pupils, and the powers of the master. In this town especially, Music, under the direction of Genius, assumes a most amiable character, acting not only as the friend of De- votion, but the handmaid of Charity. I am happy to inform you, that it is in im- mediate contemplation to build a church in this town, for the free admission of- the lower classes of inhabitants. It is a melancholy fact, that, though the gospel was originally preached to the poor, churches seem only erected for tlie rich, the former being excluded from the pews^ and exposed to " the insolence of office." There is, I confess, a most splendid exception to this remark in the church of Great Pack- ington, about ten miles from Birmingham. In this noblfe fabric, the magnificent present of the WARWICKSHIRE STATION-. 321 Earl of Aylesford, all worldly distinctions are suspended — not a single pew is to be seen : the illustrious donor and his Countess are no other- wise discriminated than by a superior fervour of devotion. Here the rich and the poor are equalized in the sight of applauding heaven, that (in a beautiful al fresco painting) seems opening over their heads. Upon the principles of Christian meekness and benevolence, which dignify the above no- ble Lord, the intended church is to be erected, in an elegant and airy part of the town, the vacant land, at the upper end of New-street^ liaving been given for the purpose by W. Inge, Esq. This charity, I have abundant reason to believe, owes its origin to the Rev. Mr. Madan, rector of St. Philip's in this town. He is known to have long brooded over the benevo- lent idea, and has been heard repeatedly to dcr clare, that he would give 500/. towards carry- ing it into execution. Happily the same sum, for the same purpose, was offered by the exe- cutors of the late Mr. Isaac Hawkins, of Bur- ton-upon-Trent, an opulent attorney, who left the bulk of his great wealth to charitable uses, ■ This stimulating donation, which immediately put in motion all the energies of charity, was, I verily believe, attracted hither by the above- mentioned worthy minister, whom I dare not VOL. I. Y 5^2 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS^, praise as he deserves, for fear of offending tlie delicacy that I revere. Suffice it to say, that, under the hbcral patronage of his uncle, the Honourable and Right Rev. the Bishop of the diocese, this pious work has made great pro- gress, the sum of 7000/.* being already sub- scribed. In the numerous list of benefactors^ you will find, amidst the clergy and orthodox gentry of the place, the name of an opulent, enlightened Dissenter, Samuel Pemberton, Escf. which I with pleasure produce, in proof of my former assertion, that the inauspicious animo- sity between the Churchmen and Dissenters is daily dying away, and that, at no very distant period, the genuine benevolence, which is eon- fined to no creed, either religious or political, will complete its triumph. • . In this truly Christian temple, the sons and daughters of Poverty will be freely admitted, without expense, insult, or inconvenience, to join in prayer and praise to the great Father of all. I am proud of belonging to a town capa- ble of such elevated flights of charity, at a time when its trade is languid, and its finances de- pressed. Commerce may change its channels, manufactures may decline, and the praise of . s ,. * I am this instant advised of the subscription at this date, amounting to the sura of 8000/. w WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 323 genius fade away ; but such acts of exalted goodness will throw a wreath of glory round Birmingham " to the last syllable of recording time." The town abounds in Sunday-schools, which are highly encouraged, as well by the sectaries as the church. The appearance of the chil- dren is extremely gratifying to a well-consti- tuted mind : instead of rambling about the streets, in ragged idleness, they are seen, by hundreds at a time, marching in regular rows, two and two, to their respective places of wor- ship, with decent cleanliness in their attire and innocence beaming in their countenances. Here are, likewise, numerous Friendly Socie- ties, called Sick Cliihs, some of which are en- rolled agreeably to the late act of parliament, and the rest are governed by our Court of Re^ quests, the little Lord Chancellors of which take much pains, and think highly of them- selves, though neither preceded by the parade of a mace, nor stimulated by a salary. There are also Gift Clubs, which differ from the for- mer in not being regulated by articles, but raising money for their sick and disabled mem- bers, according to the pressure of the occasion, upon principles of honour rather than compul- sion. We have, lastly, a Funeral Society, the object of which is to provide for the decent in- Y 2 324 supplementahy GLEANI^^6Jv terment of its members, by a weekly contrf-* .bution of a penny each. Small as this sum inay appear, it enables them to pay three gui- neas on the death of an adult, and half that sum on the death of a child. This institution tends directly to lessen the poor's rate, by di- minishing the number of parish funerals. On this and various other occasions, Birmingham may say to many a prouder town, " Go thou and do likewise." During some of the late severe winters, when all the necessaries of life were enormously high, soup-shops * were opened for the relief of the poor, and Hberally supported ; and, for the be- nefit of these, as well as some other of our cha- rities, plays have been performed by the inha- bitants, who have exhibited a considerable por- tion of theatrical talents. Thus you see even our amusements are dignified by benevolence ; " And Pleasure lights her torch at Virtue's flame. And Mirth is Bounty^ with a humbler name.'* I write in great haste — the bawling Welch- Tiian proclaims it to be past the noon of night. Health and happiness attend you " from night till morn,, from, morn to dewy eve !" ' .- , . . — * I shall have occasion to speak more at large on this ia- _tercsting theme hereafter. — Gleanee. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 52f BIRMINGHAM. WHILE my correspondent reposes, I fill up the pause. This day has been devoted to a cir- cuit of the manufactories, where I have seen, iri their due stations, every hand busily employed in earning those comforts which yesterday put every foot in motion to share them, The machinery like the mechanists, the arts like the artists, of Birmingham, are truly ob- jects of wonder ; and the transient view, which a philanthropic eye must necessarily make from the means to the end, from the rude and un- couth material to the last beautiful finishes of the most insignificant article, and the prodi- 2;ious distance which is observable betwixt the manufacturer of any such article and the pur- chaser of it, taking the whole on a graduated scale, from the labour of the first to the luxury of the last, fills the contemplative mind with an equal degree of admiration and of regret, of pity and of disgust ! To behold multitudes of the human species wasting their strength over poisonous steams of quicksilver and other unwholesome prepara- tions, merely to decorate a gaudy bauble, bur-- pish a button, or gild a trinket ; while others are heard, long before you approach them, working at the h jammer, as if spend ipg their 526 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. breath, and forcing out their very souls at the anvil, to bend the stubborn steel or obstinate iron into a shining toy ;. to swell the vanity of the idle, and increase the superfluities of the wealthy ; and to survey others plying the enor- mous bellows, and beating the seemingly-im- practicable brass, till it is moulded into form and fashion J into instruments of annoyance for the destruction of one proportion of mankind, while it is to be the defence of another: to note, besides, the e3'e of languor, the young lip disco- loured by disease, the visages of boys and girls changed to the complexion of almost death it- self, while they lean over the crucible; and a sul- phurepus glare from a devouring fire throws on their cheeks those Tartarian hues, which have been assigned to a suffering and sinful wretch : to behold a ghastly countenance, added, not unfre- qnently, to premature loss of the senses, the limbs, and of life : all these horrors, my dear friend, and a thousand others, which the inventive talents of the new-created wants and wishes, and the voluptuous passions of mankind in their progress through the refinements of so- ciety, have poured npon the world, seem, on the first blush, to offend the eye of reason with 3uch a mixture of weakness, whim, and folly — ■ such a perversiop of all human power, contri- vance, genius, and wisdom, that he who looks ■ WARWieKSHIRE STATION. 327 at either the cause or the effect in the abstract, and sees on tlie surface nothing for all thi^ drudgery — all this pain, sickness, and mortality — through a short and miserable life, but the production of idle acquisitions and brilliant emptiness, or of pernicious inventions, would surely be led to consider the whole as a mass of absurdity : as exhausting the strength, sub^ stance, and the spirit, of human beings to no good or worthy purpose. The mind, habituated to delight in less cla- morous as less noxious pursuits, is driven, by an iftvoluntary impulse, from situations like these, to more quiet scenes, wherein she seems to re- pose, and to take refuge. My own sensations, at the moment of the survey, brought to my me- mory the country's wholesome air, which meets no obstructions in its way from heaven to earth, and which I seemed to respire while my thoughts flew to meet it. I retrospected on the more se- rene occupations, which the culture of the soil, in a thousand parts of this fairy island, holds out to the husbandman; and even while I commiserated the different tribes, pale and panting before me, I rushed in fancy to the salutary philosophic exercises in the soft soli- tudes of life, " Where ev'ry bush widi Nature's music rings, ^i>d ev'ry breeze bears health upon its vyings,'' 328 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEAXIKGS. But these feelings, alas 1 have already yielded, in^ some measure, to other deduc- tions, in which it is difficult to say whether the trepidations of the scale have, of late years, upon the whole, turned in favour of agriculture, or of rural employments ; since we have had the pain to observe little more than a change of evils from a change of place. Be that as it may, the brightest surfaces of society, as to form and fashion, and the splendours of life, are unquestionably derived from application of talent to the darkest la- bours ; and there is not, perhaps, upon the sur- face of the globe, a spot, of equal dimensions, that exhibits so much real ingenuity, both of design and execution, as the town of Birming- ham. It is devoutly to be Avished that health and happiness, manners and morals, may be found to bear any due proportion to that in- genuity. I will speedily proceed with you, dear friend, into an examination of this matter. Meanwhile I again give place to the farther communications of my bountiful correspondent, whose subsequent favour is peculiarly apposite to these reflections, being descriptive of the several trades which are carried on in the ingenious town under consideration. "WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 529 By way of motto to Mr. !Morfitt's observa- tions on this subject, I shall subjoin some ap- propriate hnes, extracted from an elegant little poem, addressed to a friend of the author. '' Can tasteless grandeur, with fastidious smile. Deride the labours of the forge or file ? See, from the sooty toils, what wonders rise ! Behold yon radiant family of toys; , Th' elastic buckle casts a silver ray. And the gilt button emulates the day. Here sparkling chains, in bright confusion lie, Cliains not to fetter limbs, but grace the thigh. Beauty of every form, and every hue. Puzzles die fancy, and distracts the view. Well might the mythologic wits agree. That Beauty's wedded with Deformity:- Here the rude mass emits progressive charms. Till Fenus clasps her Vulcan to her arms.* Mr. Gleaner, I am now arrived at a subject equally dif- ficult and important; too important to be slightly investigated, and too difficult to be investigated with accuracy : — I mean the trade and manufactures of Birmingham, which * This specimen of Mr. Morfitt's poetic talents will excite that desire for more, which I trust will be gratified, in that part of the third volume sacred to the Muse of Friendship. 330 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. have enabled her proudly to erect herself above the surrounding towns, and become one of the brightest gems in the imperial crown of these kingdoms. The causes are comphcated and obscure, but the effects are such as might animate the patriot to rapture and the poet to enthusiasm^ The Nile has fertiHzed Egypt, but who can explore its source ? By whom, and at what time, were the first sword or gun, buckle or button, fabricated in Birmingham? This is a question which I have repeatedly asked of the most intelligent inhabitants, but hitherto asked in vain. In little more than a century, this town has thrown by its homely village robes, and assumed the port of a mag- nificent city ; and yet none can tell with pre- cision when the mighty transformation took place, or to whom it was owing. That the change was gradual and progressive, that the first attempts were feeble and little noticed, and that those who went before were eclipsed -by those who came after, we can readily con- ceive; yet it is strange, passing strange, that the original benefactors cannot l^e rescued from obscurity. Previous to the revolution, in 1638, the ma- nufactures of Birmingham were plain and use- ful articles of iron, — such as nails, hinges, kitchen utensils, and implements of husb^n- WARWICKSIIIUE STATIOX. 331 dry; to the making of vvhich they were indu- ced, by the ahwndant coal and iron mines iu the iieigiil)ourhood. Bat, in process of. time, they reversed the scriptural prophecy, and converted ploughshares into swords, and the instruments of peace into weapons of war. Guns were made here in the reign of William III. and now constitute one of the staple ma- nufactures of the place; — a manufacture car- ried on, particularly in time of war, to an in- credibie extent. During the late hostilities, one-half of the muskets ordered by govern- ment were finished here, and the essential parts of the other half supplied. Our gun- makers were obliged to accompany every fi- nished musket, sent to the office of ordnance, with the barrel and lock of another musket, in order to accommodate their brethren in London, who had interest enough to procure this regulation. For the purpose of proving these barrels, a proof-house was erected, by go- vernment, at the bottom of Walmer-lane, the explosions of which were very terrific to stran- gers. This was under the direction of one head viewer, and several subordinate ones, and was styled the Tower. You will perceive we are assimilating to London apace, when we can already boast not only a Tower but an ex- C/ellent^mint, of which more hereafter. Here 532 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEANIXGS. it may be proper to dissipate tlie public pre- judices respecting guns, especially fowling, pieces. Those who make fire-arms for govern- ment of the best quality, may be rationally supposed to excel in guns of all descriptions; and this is really the case, though many people imagine that a Birmingham fowling-piece will not shoot, and therefore it will not sell as well as one made in London. But what will these wise-acres say to the established fact, that the barrels and locks of most of the guns, and very many of the guns themselves that bear the London mark, are made in Birmingham? Disregarding the common adage, that " prac- tice makes perfect," and seduced by "whist- ling of a name," they fondly fancy the best things to be those which fetch the best price, and are- fabricated in the greatest town. Be it known unto all men, by these presents, that guns, with the best stub and twisted barrels, eclipsing the forjnerly-famous barrels of Spain, the best skeleton locks, the best patent breech- es, gold touch-holes, &c. are made here for one-half, nay, one-third of the price which they bring in the metropolis : and yet, a per- son unacquainted with the secret would sup- pose that Birmingham never produced a single fowling-piece; for our gun-makers have the policy to use the superscription of London. ^VARWICKSHIIIE STATlO>r. 533 Yoii will smile when I inform you that guns, &yc, and good-looking ones too, are made here at ts. 6d. each. These, though formida- ble in appearance, have two small defects; the first is, that not being bored, except about an inch or two from the muzzle, they cannot be supposed to shoot very true; and the second is, that not being proved, they cannot shoot at all. I beg pardon ; they certainly undergo some sort of proof, but not by powder j (for that would be too rough usage,) but by water^ which, if they are capable of holding, with-* out permitting it to ooze through their pores, they are sufficiently qualified to discharge their duty; which is not to shed the blood of man or beast, but to decorate the habitation of some negro chieftian. Yet these instruments, though haiTnless and innocent, (except to the luckless wight who should load and fire them,) would be considered as guilty by the friends of humanity, as they are indisputably em- ployed in the nefarious African tralhc, and bartered for human flesh and blood. I know not Avho first introduced the gun- manufacture * into this town, but upwards of * In this place, Mr. Thomason's patent cocks for all sorts ai guns and pistols, deserves particular notice. ^ i^mong the iavcntions hitherto made in the iMprovements of 334 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. seventy years ago it was conducted on a scale then thought large, by a Mr. Jordan, who guns and pistols, not any before the present have been brought forward to prevent the great danger that attends leaving or car- rying them carelessly when they are loaded ! For as the flint is kept ttufionary in the cocks of all gun and pistol locks made on the old plan, it strikes the hammer each time in the same place, and, in a few times of firing, wears the flint smooth, and therefore' requires to be frequently changed, or hacked with the back of a knife or some steel instrument, to break angles upon it, to produce sufiicient fire. The invention which the patentee now offers to the public, removes these lico principal incuntenieuces ; for a person can, in a second, takeoff or put on the jarts only of the cocky wiiich holds the flint, without disengaging the cock from the lock, or un- screwing the flint; consequently a gun cannot discharge its contents, when the top part of the-cock, which holds the flint, is detached from the spindle of the louer part. And the other inconvenience is removed, by the flint each time presenting a different angle to the hammer, and thereby completely hacks itself ; and a flint has been proved to last above a thousand /me* striking, without once missing fire. They are made of all ftizes, suitable for single and double barrels and pistols-, ami their peculiar advantages are: Istly, They are upon a certainty of giving fire ; and a flint will last fifty times as long as one fixed in by the old method, which enabfes a person to go out shooting, without encumber- ing himself with flints, turnscrcw, &c. and not liable to lose bis bird, for want of his gun giving fire. In a military point of view too, the certainty of a flint giving fire will be the moans of savi:,^ many a brave soldier in the heat of battle, Warwickshire station- 335 Tiad contracts with government, and wliose son, succeeding him in the business, attain- ed the lionour of shrievalty — an honour to which other gun-smiths in the town have been since exalted. For a considerable time after Birmingham had made muskets for the public service, go- vernment continued to pocure their swords from Germany ; but, after the most rigid scru- when he has not the opportunity of changing or hacking his flint. 2clly, All guns and pistols with the nCAv-invented patent cocks affixed to them, may be carried or left any where about a house, without the possibility of danger, when the upper part is slided off the lower part, ("which is done in an imiant by the ihymb and Jittger,) and certainly precludes all possibility of ac- cident, for if even the trigger be pulled, the gun cannot dis- charge its contents, and any other person is thereby prevented from making use of the gun, except he who is in possession of the upper part of the cock. In this particular they would prove advantageous to the military, inasmuch as, on suspicion of a mutiny, the top pieces of one thousand guns could be delivered up to the commanding officer in a few minutes, as well as the soldier having the oppor- tunity of rendering his gun useless to the enemy, in case of his being obliged to surrender. 3dly, The patent cock can be affixed to any gun or pistol in a few minutes, without even taking off or altering either the lock or the barrel, for it is screwed on exactly in the same way as all others, with the old tumbler screw. And they are never likely to be out of repair. $56 SUP^LE3iEN"TARY GLEANINGS. tiny, our manufacture obtained a decided pre- ference. Such are the strength and temper of these swords that, with a single blo\r from a strong arm, they will either cut a musket through or render it useless. The importance of a good sword, or sabre, is obvious : should his weapon fail him, the most gallant horse- , man, the most vigorous hero, is disarmed and helpless • and, in order to secure excellence, government has instituted the utmost severity of proof, and they have been so Avell seconded 1by the increasing ingenuity of our workmen, that the massy INIoorish sabre, the trusty to- ledo of Spain, and the ferraras of the High- landers, must yield to the Birmingham weapon, which possesses sufficient substance without encumbeiing weight, and elasticity without flimsiness. Previous to making swords for the public use, Birmingham was celebrated for its bayonets: the first government-contract for the former was given to the late IMr. S. Dawes, of Snow-hill, and the late Mr. Hervey ; and both these important articles are now, almost exclusivel}'^, supplied from hence, to the great emolument of the town and of the public ; for the blades of Birmingham, like the hearts of British warriors, will never fail. In addition to muskets and bayonets, swords and pistols, army accoutrements likewise are provided » VARWICKSHIJIE STATION. S37 here ; and all these branches hav€ proved fer- tile soui'ccs of opulence.* The BucKLEf was one of our early and * Though the sword and the gun, says Hutton, are equal companions in war, it does not appear they are of equal origin. The sword was the manufactory of Birmingham, in the time of the Britons. Tradition tells us, King William was once lamenting, " that guns were not manufactured in his domi- nions, but that he was obliged to procure thero from Holland, at a great expense, and greater difficulty." Sir Richard New- digate, one of the members for tlie county, being present, told the King, " the genius of guns resided in Warwickshire, and thftt he thought his constituents could answer his majesty's wishes-^'r- Thc King was pleased with the remark, and the member posted to Birmingham. Upon application to a person in Dig- heth, whose name I forget, tl^e pattern was executed with pre- cision, which, when presented to the royal board, gave intire satisfaction. Orders were immediately issued for large num- bers, which have been so frequently repeated, that they never Jost their road; and the ingenious artists have been so amply rewarded, that they have rolled in their carriages to this day. Thus, the same instrument, which is death to one man, is life to another. t Perhaps the shoe, in one form or other, is nearly as antient as the foot. It originally appeared under the jiame of sandal; this was no other than a sole without upper leather. That fashion has since been inverted, and we now, sometimes, see the upper leather nearly without a sole. But, whatever was the cut of the shoe, it always demanded a fastening. Under the house of Plantagenet, it shot horizontally from the foot, like a Dutch skate, to an enormous length, so that the extremity was fastened to the knee, sometimes with a VOL. I. Z 558 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. most valuable manufactures ; it gave employ- ment to twenty thousand people in this town silver chain, a silk lace, or even a packthread string, rather than avoid genteel taste. This thriving beak drew the attention of the legislature, who were determined to prune the exorbitant shoot ; for, in 1465, wc find an order of council, prohibiting the growth of the shoe to more than two inches, under the penalty of a dreadful curse from the priest, and the payment of twenty shillings to the King. This fashion, like every other, gave way to time ; and, in its stead, the rose began to bud upon the foot, which, under the hoUse ' of Tudor, opened in great perfection. No shoe was fashionable without being fastened with a full blown rose. Ribands of every colour, except white, the emblem of the de- pressed house of York, were held in esteem ; but the red, like the house of Lancaster, held the pre-eminence. Under the house of Stuart, the rose withered, which gave rise to the shoe- string. The beaux of that age ornamented their lower tier with double laces of siJk, tagged with silver, and the extremi- ties were beautified with a small fringe of the same metal. The inferior class wore laces of plain silk, linen, or even a thong of leather ; which last is yet to be met with in the hum- ble plains of rural life. But I am inclined to think, the artists of Birmingham had no great hand in fitting out the beau of the last century. The revolution was remarkable for the introduction of William, of liberty, and the minute buckle, not diifering much in size and shape from the horse-bean. This offspring of fancy, like the clouds, is ever clvanging. The fashion to-day is thrown into the casting-pot to-morrow. The buckle seems to have undergone every figure, size, and shape of geometrical invention; it has passed through every form in the whole zodiac of Euclid. WARWICKSHIRE STATION* 339 ftnd neighbourhood, but is now nearly ex- tinguished, by the caprice of fashion ; — - by la- dies wearing slippers, gentlemen shoe-strings, and buckles being discontinued in the army. Upon the grave of this once flourishing trade you, Mr. Gleaner, in your poetical capacity, might dictate an epitaph; but the chords of your lyre would vibrate in vain. Fashion had no feeling for the poor buckle- makers. Strong petitions were presented upon the subject, in 1790, to the Prince of Wales,* and the Duke • Some gentlemen of the committee of the principal ma- nufacturers of buckles in Birmingham, Walsall, and Wolver- hampton, waited upon his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales Avith the petition alluded to. Mr. Sheridan, who introduced the deputation to the Prince, passed the highest compliment on the abilities of the gentleman who drew it up; and remark- ed that he had hardly ever met with sentences so happily ex- pressed, and which contained so much matter in so few words. I have been lucky enough to procure a copy. To His Royal Highness the PRINCE of WALES. The humble Petition of the Buckle-manufacturers, &c, Sheweth) That, with minds strongly agitated by the alarming decline of our trade, we approach your Royal Highness, not without hope, being abundantly convinced that you will rejoice in an opportunity of displaying, at the same time, your goodness,, public spirit, and humanity. It will stand instead of a thousand arguments, simply t© Z 2 540 SUPPLEMENTARY GtEATHt^GS. and Duchess of York, as the arbiters of fa-" shion, and the directors of taste, who, with a state to your Royal Highness, that the buckle-trade gives em- ployment to more than twenty thousand persons, numbers of Tvhom, in conscq\ience of the prevalency of shoe-strings, and dippers, are at pkiseiit without employ, almost destitute of bread, and exposed to tlte horrors of want, at this inclement season of the year. That should the same stagnation of trade Continue, the miseries, emigrations, and other horrid conse- quences that will inevitably ensue, may be better conceived than expressed. It is ill a great measdre mving to the two valuable manufac- tures of buckles and button^, that Birmingham has attained her present importance in the map of Great Britain: the lat>- ter, when in an infirm state, was cherished by parliamentary assistance J but, averse to prohibitory penalties, we have the fullest reliance upon the gracious interference of yotir Royal Highness. We beg leave to obserYC, that when Fashior*, instead of fe- teign or unprofitable ornaments, wears and consumes the ma- nufactures of tliis country, she puts on a more engaging form, and becomes Patriotism. When Taste, at the same time, and by the same means that she decorates the persons of the richjh, clothes and feeds the naked and hungry poor^ she deserves a worthier appellation, and may be styled Humanity. We make no doubt but your Royal Highness will prefer the blessings of the starving manufacturer to the encoftiiums of the drawing- room.* We know it is to no purpose to address Fashion herself; sbe * This passage of the petition is eminently beautiful, both for thought and expression ; it was particularly distinguished by Mr. Sheridan, •WARWICKSHIRE STATIOJC. 341 Iiumanity that does them great honour, pro- inised to do, and no doubt did, every thing, in the way of example and influence, to re- store the drooping manufacture, — but in vain. Many people, thrown out of employ by the unexpected failure of this business, applied themselves to making chains, keys, seals, trin- kets, and other elegant appendages of watch-^ es; but, being threatened once more with beggary, by the tax upon clocks and watches, they, in conjunction with other parties inter* estcd, presented a vigorous petition to the minister, and were relieved by a repeal of is void of feelings and deaf to argument ; but fortunately she is subject to your controul : — she has been accustomed tQ lis- ten to your voice, and to obey your commands. We therefore most earnestly implore your Royal Highness, as our present hope, and future sovereign, attentively to con» sider the deplorable situation of our trade, which is in danger of being ruined by this mutability of fashion; and to givo jthat direction to the public taste, which will ensure our most lively and lasting gratitude, and confirm the general opinion of the exalted virtues of your heart. And your petitioners shall ever pray, &c, December 17, 1791." His Royal Highness has since ordered the principal persons of every department of his household into his pre- sence, and informed them that they must, frojn that instant, jdiscontimie the use pf skocstrings, 342 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. that injudicious tax. On this occasion, you will permit me to make two observations ; first, that, previous to the imposition of a tax, all its collateral consequences, some of which may not be very obvious, but very important and extensive, should be maturely weighed ; and, secondly, that it is always sounder policy to tax the wealth acquired by manufactures than manufactures themselves ; for wide and scr rious is the difference between plucking the fruit and cutting down the tree. Great fortunes were formerly acquired by this manufacture, but it is vmpleasant to des- cant on the melancholy theme. As nothing- can be permanent in the regions of fashion, it is possible there may be a resurrection of the buckle- trade; but, at present, I see no prosr pect of such an event. Ladies and gentlemen, no doubt, are so occupied in the accomplish- ment of their heads, that they have no leisure to decorate their feet. Even the latchets or plastic buckles of our Soho,* which so strikingly unite elegance with convenience, have not that spread to wliich they are entitled by their merit, The Button | manufactory being, protected * Mr. Boulton's place and manufactory, t In a half playful, halfscrious manner, the pleasant historian pf Biriningl^am observes, on this artick, ^' that the bcivutiful or-> WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 343 by pariiamentary penalties, against the freaks, of fashion, is still flourishing. Various are' the materials and prices, from humble horn, at fivepence halfpenny per gross, . to the finely polished steel button of Soho, at a guinea each. I have been informed, a Mr. Baddeley, who lived in the Square, was one of our oldest button-makers. He distinguished himself by inventing the oval lathe, and other curious en- gines for improving and facihtating this ma- nufactoiy, and retired from business, oa a nament, called the button, appears with infinite variation ; and though the original date is rather uncertain, yet we well remem- ber the long coats of our grandfathers, covered with half a gross of high-tops ; and the cloaks of our grandmothers, ornament- ed with a horn button nearly the size of a crown-pjece, a watch, or a John-apple, curiously wrought, as having passed, through the Birmingham press. Though the common round button keeps on with the steady pace of the day, yet we sometimes see the oval, the square,' die pea, and the pyramid, flash into existence. In some branches of traffic, the wearer calls loudly for new tashions which crowd and tread upon each other. The consump- tion of the button is astonishing, and the value from threepence a gross to one hundred and forty guineas. There seems to be hidden treasures couched within this magic circle, known only to a few, who extract prodigious fortunes out of this useful toy, whilst a far greater number submit to a statute of bankruptcy. Trade, like a restive horse, can tare^ ly be managed ; for, where one is carried to the end of a suc- cessful journey, many are thrown off by the way. 544 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS, genteel independency, about the year 1739- This business, likewise, was much advanced and improved by the great Matthew Bculton, so long ago as 1745, as will be seen in the- subsequent account of Soho. Human inge- nuity having, for a series of years, directed all its energies to the melioration of this produc- tive trade, labour has been abridged^ and ef- fect increased, in a surprising way, by means of various machines and devices. Three pounds per gross were formerly paid for cha- sing buttons, which can now be better done for tenpence. Some of the button materials ^re singular ; for who could ever imagine that paper and slate -ihould arrive at that honour? There are four great branches of this trade, Exclusive of various subordinate ones ; namely, ^e polished steel, that emulates the diamond, the gilt and plated, the mother of pearl, and, lastly, the hard white metal composition button. The first are the dearest and the most jplcndid, and the last the cheapest and most durable. It would occupy pages to describe the curious machines and contrivances that have been invented in this extensive trade. The ve- locity with which, by means of stamps and presses, buttons receive their figure and im- pression is almost miraculous. There are en- WARWrOKSHIRE STATION. 345' gines for piercing and chasing them, which do much work in htlle time; and a most curious machine for making the shanks, constructed by IVIr. Ralph Eaton, in Slancy- street, well worthy the attention of a stranger, as, in- deed, arc all the parts and processes of thif multifarious manufactory. The time, Mr, Gleaner, to which you have restricted me, to- gether with my professional avocations, abso- lutely prevents me from giving an account so copious as I could wish of a trade in which fancy " reigns and revels," and invention is ever on the rack. But I cannot conclude with- out informing you, that buttons have been really gilt with gold for threepence halfpenny per gross ! 1 sdcy gilt with gold; for the Bir- mingham people can give the semblance with- out the substance of that precious metal; and it was lately found necessary to compel them, by parliamentary penalties, to use a specific quantity of gold, according to the surface of the button. The art of Founding,* or casting in iron. * This is, perhaps, less ancient than profitable, and lesi hcalthtui than either. I shall not inquire whose grandfather was the first brass-founder here, but shall leave their grand- sons to settle that important point with ray successor, who shall licxt write the history of Birmingham. Whoever was the first, 346 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. has here attained singular excellence, and was carried on with considerable eclat, by a IVIr. Hodgets, upwards of fifty years ago. Every article almost that can cross the imagination is now cast ; locks and keys, hinges with move- able joints, buttons to imitate steel, nails, scissors, razors, and even needles; but the last must, by a subsequent operation, be tem- pered, that is, heated along with some substance containing carbon, in order to give them flex- ibility or acuteness. The above-named Hod- gets wrote upon his sign, " E'vcry thing cast here ; " a wag, seeing the inscription, asked him to cast a tall grove of trees near his house; " with all my heart," says Hodgets, " Fll cast them, if you will but send me the patterns,'" Brass-founding is hkewise a flourishing staple manufactory ; to enumerate the various branch- es of which would exercise the memory of a Simonides. Thread-making is an old and lucrative bu- siness in this town, having been carried on in " the days of other years,", b}^ a Mr. Abney, I believe he figured in the reign of King William ; but, though he sold his productions at an excessive price, he did not, like the moderns, possess the art of acquiring a fortune; but now the mpster knows the way to affluence, and the ser- vant to liquor. — Hutton, WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 347 wlio lived at the Moat, the seat of our antient feudal lords. The Hand-whip manufactory is curious and respectable ; and, previous to the late hostili- ties, was one of the briskest trades in town. It was transplanted to Birmingliam from Da- ventry, where a Mr. Rose had acquired great opulence thereby. The whips are braided with what is called catgut, (but which is, in fact, the gut of sheep or lambs,) by means of a machine that excites admiration by its rapidity and correctness. This was one of the manu- factories visited by the hero of the Nikj during the short stay he made in Birming- ham, The manufacturing of hand -whips commen- ced in Birmingham about fifty years ago. It is generally believed, that its introduction into this place was caused by an inspection of Mr. Rose's manufactory, at Daventry. The process of covering, or, as it is termed by the trade, braiding the whip, was formerly very tedious, it being then done by hand, in a frame. A very ingenious improvement has been made upon this method, by a gentleman of the name of Dundas, who, upwards of thirty years since, brought the machine now in use to its present perfection, as it will, on an average, braid nine QV ten whips of most kinds in the same time S48 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. that the frame will braid one of a similar de- scription. Whips, of the best quality, are made intirely of whalebone in the inside, and a co- vering of gut, which is put on in a peculiar manner, exclusive of an additional covering on the outside, already denominated braiding. The generality of whips consist of whalebone throughout, with the addition of a little cane to the stock only, merely to thicken it. The art of hand-whip making * is esteemed one of the first curiosities in the place, and attracts the general notice of visitors. The following catalogue of our manufactures will convince you how Herculean the task must be to give a complete history thereof. Taking them alphabetically, here are awl- blade-makers, bellows- makers, f brass and cock founders, * Mr. Bridgeman is at present one of the first manufac- turers in this article. t Man fii-st catches the profession, the profession afterwards moulds the man, says the facetious Hutton, on the subject of the bellows-trade. Whatever profession we assume, its charac- ter becomes a part of it, we vindicate its honour, its eminence, its antiquity, or feel a wound through its sides. Though there may be no more pride in a minister of state, who opens a budget, than in a tinker, who carries one, yet they equally contend for the honour of their trade. The bellows-maker proclaims the honour of his art, by ob- eerving, he alone produces that instrument which commands WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 349 Ijrusli-niakers, buckle- makers, button-makers, candlestick- makers, cbafe-makers, cutlers, file- makers, gimblet-makers, gun and pistol ma- kers, japanners, jewellers, iron-founders, lock- makers, opticians and spectacle-makers, platers, pocket-book-makers, saw and edge-tool ma- kers, scale and steel-yard makers, jobbing S7mth8, as they are called here, and white- "imiths elsewhere — a business of vast importance, with a paltry name, as they make engines and tools for the manufacturers ; snuffer-makers, spoon-makers, spur-makers, thimble-makers, thread * and wick-yard makers, turners, watch- the wind; his soft breeze, like that of the south, counteracts the chill blasts of winter ; by his efforts, like those of the sun, the world receives light ; he creates when he pleases, and gives Ireath when he creates,. In his caverns the winds sleep at plea- sure, and by his orders they set Europe in flames. He farther pretends, that the antiquity of his occupation will appear from the plenty of elm once in the neighbourhood, but long cut up for his use; that the leather-market in Birmingham, for many ages, furnished him with hides ; and, though the manu- facture of iron is allowed to be extremely antient, yet the smith could not procure his heat witliout a blast, nor could that blast be raised without the bellows. One inference will arise from these remarks, that bellows-making is one of the oldest trades in Birmingham. * While, in the following passage, I give you a specimen of the style and manner of Hutton, you will receive a curious histoFv of an article of »o incoQsidemble manufacture in this 550 SUPPLEMEXTARV GLEANIIJ'GS. chain and toy-makers, steel man-trap-makers^ fox-traps, rat-traps, and wooden mouse-trap makers, &c. &c. place — in short, you will have the history of both the artisrt and his art, the thread-man and his thread. " We," says Mr. Hutton, " who reside in the interior parts of the kingdom, may observe the first traces of a river issue from its fountain; the current at first extremely small. If wc pursue its course, winding through one hundred and thirty miles, we shall observe it collect strength as it runs, expand its borders, swell into consequence, employ multitudes of peo- ple, carry wealth in its bosom. This exactly resembles the thread-making of Birmingham. " If we represent to our idea, a man able to employ three or four people, himself in an apron, one of the number; but, being unable to write his name, makes his mark to receipts, whose method of book-keeping, like that of a publican, is a door and a lump of dialky producing a book which none can peruse but himself; who, having manufactured forty pounds weight of thread, of divers colours, and rammed it into a pair of leather bags, something larger than a pair of boots, which we might deem the arms of his trade empaled, slung them on a horse, and placed himself on the top, by way of a crest ; if we fol- low this man to an adjacent market, to starve with his goods at a stall, or retail them with a mercer, resolved not to return without the money ; we shall see the thread-maker of l652. " If we may pursue this occupation, winding through the mazes of one hundred and thirty years, we shall see it enlarge its boundaries, multiply its people, increase its consequence and wealth, till 1782 ; when we behold the master in possession of correct accounts, the apron thrown aside, the stall kicked 1 WARWICKSHIRE STATION. '351 A few anecdotes of some of the great leaders or inventors of our trade here cannot but be proper objects of a gleaning traveller s notice : accept, therefore, what follows: The late John Taylor,* Esq. (the father of the present banker,) who served the office of high-sheriff of the county in 1756, and died worth 300,000/. was originally a cabinet-ma- ker. Being applied to in his capacity, by the people of Bilston, in the neighbourhood, for large quantities of varnish, he asked the pur- poses for which it was used, and being told it was for japanning iron tobacco-boxes, he form- ed a resolution to excel them in their own ma- over, the bags tossed into the garret, and the mercer overlook- ed in the grand prospect of exportation. We farther behold him take the lead in provincial concerns, step into his own carriage, and hold the king's comniission in the peace right deserving of the honour." * One of Mr. Taylor's servants earned three pounds ten shillings per week, by painting gilt snuff-boxes, enamels, &c. at Tifaiihing each. In ihis shop were weekly manufactured buttons to the amount of 800/. exclusive of other valuable productions. One of our present nobility, of distinguished taste, examining Taylor's works with the master, purchased some of the articles, among others, a toy of eighty guineas value ; and, while paying for them, observed, with a smile, " he plainly saw he could not reside iu Birmingham for less than 200/. a day!" 352 SUPPLEMEXTARV CLEANINGS. nufacture. He did so : getting up boxes of the most humble materials in the pioudest style and some of them admirably painted. Materiam uiperahat opus; and from thence he proceeded to construct boxes of more valuable substances ; such as gold and silver, with lids of Egyptian pebbles, and of a composition imitative of th6 lapis lazuli, and another which he denominated the philosopher's stone. He made gold, or gilt, cane heads, exquisitely engraved, and most brilliant equipage ; v, atch-chains for ladies, of various materials, from polished steel to bur- nished gold. " Art," says the poet, " reflect- ed images on art." He added buttons, of va- rious descriptions, gilt, plated, lackered, &c. and in all the branches of the numerous family of enamels he shone with pre-eminent lustre. He had the policy and spirit to engage the most expert workmen at any expense, foreign as well as native ; and was rewarded by large returns of fame, and, what he is said to have valued more, of fortune. Baskerville,* the celebrated printer and * A farther account of this extraordinary man is given by Hut- ton, who informs us — that son of genius, John Tayl^Jr, was born at Wolverly, in the county of Worcester, in 1706'; heir to a pater- nal estate of 60/. per annum, which, fifty years after, while in his own possession, had increased to 9QL In 1 7*6, he became a WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 353 type-founder, was originally a schoolmaster; but having a strong propensity to the fine for- wri ting-master in Birmingham, In 1737, he taught a school in the Bull-ring, and is said to have \Vritten an excellent hand. As painting suited his talents^ he entered into the lucrative branch of japanning. He took, in 1745, a building-lease of eight acres, to which he gave the name of Eiisy-hill, converted it into a little Eden, and built a house in the centre ; but the town, as if conscious of his merit, followed his retreat, and surrounded it with buildings. Here he continued the business of a japanner for life. His carriage, each pannel of which was a distinct picture, might be considered as the -pattern-card of his trade ^ and was drawn by a beautiful pair of cream-coloured horses. His inclination for letters induced him, in 1750, to turn his thoughts towards the press. He passed many years in the un- certain pursuit, sunk 600/. before he could produce one letter himself, and some thousands before the shallow stream of profit began to flow. His first attempt, in 1756, was a quarto edition of '* Virgil,'* price one guinea, now worth several. He afterwards printed *■' Paradise Lost," the " Bible," " Common Prayer," " Roman and English Classics," &c* in various sizes ; but still with more satisfaction to the literary world than emolument to himself. In 17^5, he applied to his friend. Dr. Franklin, then at Paris, and ambassador from America, to sound the Gallic literati, respecting the purchase of his types; but received for answer, " That the French, reduced by the war in 175(), were so far from pursuing schemes of taste, that they were unable to repair their public edifices, and suffered the scatfolds erectet^ for building to rot before them/' It should seem, however, that they vxrt the purchasers, (os VOL. I. A a # 354 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. mation of letters, he occasionally amused him- self with cutting or engraving tomb-stones^ Avhich perhaps occasioned the error of his being a stone-mason. He was, I beheve, the first who introduced the art of japanning tea-trays, waiters, &c. together with the high copal var- nish. Mr. Grose, in his edition of Camden's Britannia, is mistaken, in sajang that this gen- tleman began that species of japanning which Mr. Clay afterwards brought to perfection : their materials were different ; the latter claims the exclusive honour of inventing the beautiful the venerable historian tells us afterwards, that the French nation, though brought, by the British arms, in 1762, to the verge of ruin, rose so far above distress as to purchase, seven- teen years after, JNIr. Baskerville's elegant types, and to expend 100,000/. in printing the works of Voltaire ! ' • Mr. Hutton adds, but I hope on conjecture only, that Bas- Icerville's aversion to Chri$tiamtii would not suffer him to lie among Christians; he, therefore^ erected a mausoleum in his own grounds for his remains, and died, without issue, in 1775, at the age of sixty-nine. Many efforts were used, after his death, to dispose of the types ; but, to the lasting discredit of the British nation, ao purchaser could be found in the whole common-wealth of let- ters. The universities coldly rejected the offer : the London booksellers did not think fit to hazard the purchase ; aiKl this invaHiable property, therefore, lay a dead weight till, as was noted above, it was bought by a literary society at Paris, in 117% ior -37001. WARWICKSHIRE STATION*. 255 pannel paper, hereafter described, whereas the former confined himself to iron. Baskerville was employed by the University of Cambridge, for some time, as their printer, with high repu- tation ; ancl it is a matter of lamentation, that his elegant type-foundry and printing appara- tus should, after his death, be permitted to be sold to foreigners ; and, in particular, that they should be sold to France^ for the purpose of publishing the works of the infidel Voltaire, after having been previously consecrated by a splendid edition of the BIBLE ! Mr. Clay, who served the office of High Sheriff, in 1790, was originally a painter ou enamel, has acquired great opulence and cele- brity by various inventionSj particularly by converting paper to an use for which it was never apparently intended. Addison, in the Spectator, thinks it a wonderful metamorphosis that a lady's shift should come back to her in the shape of a love-letter : but what would he have said to old ra^-s beiuff tauQ-ht to assume the character of wood, equalling it in firmness, and exceeding it in beauty of polish ? In the year 1772, the above-named gentleman (after several previous cxperinKmts in making bottle- stands and other minuter articles) took out a patent for cartoon or pannckd paper, so called, I presume, from its constituting the pannel of a a 2 356' SUPPLEMEXT'AIIY GLEAXIXGS, chariots, doors, 'cabins of ships, and v»nndoW-* shutiers, such as are, or lately were, at Lord Scarsdale's sumptuous seat at Kettleston* It is likewise applicable to tea-trays, waiters, card and dressing tables, and evcFy other species of elegant househokl furniture. It is made of successive layers, or strata, of paper, cemented by paste, which,- having acquired the requisite thickness, and being dried, is sav/n, plained, or otherwise treated, as wood, and afterwards covered with varnish of such a thickness or body as will resist the friction of sand or pu-- mice stone, which is employed to obtain a level surface, and prepare it for the ultimate opera- tion — the friction of the human hand, which, assisted by human saliva, in preference to all other substances, gives it a beautiful polished surface, little inferior to a mirror in its reflect- ing powers ; and at the same time forms an ad- mirable ground for painting in the most exqui- site colours. As the first fruits of his invention, Mr. Clay 4iad the' policy to make a present to her Majesty of a sedan chair, the pannels of which were constmcted of this elegant composition ; and, in 1777, he complimented the same august personage vith a superb set of pier tables, admirably pahited, from designs of Guido. These presents, with others equally novel and WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 357 attractive, made to lier IMajesty, gained Mr. Clay the personal acquaintance and esteem of the Royal Family. In 1778, he obtained a second patent for making buttons of the same beautiful material, and of every colour, simple or complex, that fancy could devise ; to which was superadded, the improvement of giving any form required, to the composition, by means of a press. This patent was afterwards extended, upon the ground of having invented a new mode of se- curing the shanks of the said buttons. This manufactory has been very productive, an.d is still flourishing, particularly in the arti- cles of buttons, tea-trays, card- boxes, dres- sing-boxes for the ladies, &c. Formerly three hundred hands were employed, and now, ijearly one hundred. This artist^ likewise, constructed buttons of slate, of all the various native colours exhibited by that species of stone. These were made double, for the purpose of receiving the shank, ^nd turned on a lathe. He has lately obtained two important patents, the one for an improved waggon, which, by dividing or opening in the middle, gives the same facility of unloading, as is pos- sessed by a cart; and the other, for a canal or navigation lock, which is equally simple and ingenious; tending not only to save half the 358 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS. ^ quantity of water, but facilitate the progress of the vessel. This able mechanic and worthy man has, by persevering industry, brought the art of japan- ning to such perfection as to rival the celebrated originals from the East Indies, notwithstanding their boasted varnish hue. ]\Iy short history of "Birmingham manufac- tures will be very properly closed, Mr. Gleaner, by an account, however imperfect, of So no, which not only contains an epitome of what is curious or splendid in the rest, but exhibits, what Dr. Plot whimsically calls, " Thauma- TURGics, or monsters of art." This far-famed place owes all its conse- quence and celebrity to a single individual, whose whole life has been spent in one un- remitting eftbrt to advance the national cha- racter, and augment the national wealth, by extending manufactures and commerce, fa- *cilitating labour, and enlarging the sphere of human ingenuity. For this purpose, no risk has been avoided, no expense spared : the powers of nature have been laboriously investigated, and the faculties of art called into their utmost action and energy. But fortune often delights to cxhait what nature has neglected. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 359 This scene of wonder was once a barren heath, on the bleak summit of which stood a naked hut, the habitation of a warrener. In 1762, when Mr. Boulton purchased the lease of the premises, there were only a small house and feeble mill erected ; the last of which he enlarged and rebuilt, transplanting his manu- factory from Birmingham thither; but the Works not being sufficient for his great designs, in 1764, he laid the foundation of the present superb manufactory, which was finished, the next year, at the expense of 9000/. Previous to this, namety, in 1745, Mr. Boulton had in- vented, and afterwards brought to perfection, the inlaid buckles, buttons, watch-chains, &c. which Dr. Johnson, in his paper in the World, mentions as becoming very fashionable, and which were repurchased, from France, under an idea of their being the manufacture of that country. In I768, the late Dr. Darwin, speak- ing of Soho, says, " Here are toys and utensils of various kinds, in gold, copper, tortoiseshell, enamels, and many vitreous and metallic com- positions, with gilt, plated, and inlaid works, all wrought up to the highest elegance of taste and perfection of execution." From the a^ra of building his grand fabric, as above-mentioned, j\Ir. Boulton began to devote his attention to the different branches of manu- factory ; and, in conjunction with Mr. Fother- 360 SUPPJLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. gill, his then partner, established a mercantile correspondence throughout Europe. He hke- ■\vise established a seminary of artists for draw- ing and modelling ; and men of genius \vere eagerly sought for, and Uberally patronized, which shortly led to a successful imitution of the or-molu, then metallic ornaments, con- sisting of vases, tripods, candelabras, Sec. These soon found their way, not only to the admiration of his Majesty, and to the chimney-pieces and cabinets of the nobility and curious of this kingdom, but likewise to France, and almost every part of Europe. From this elegant branch, Mr. Boulton led his artists, by an easy transition, to that of wrought silver; ^upon which he soon saw the necessity of applymg for, and establishing, in 1779? an assay-ohice in Birmingham, which has since been so nmch improved, as to assay one thousand ounces per week. About this time, that ingenious art of copying pictures in oil colours, by a mechani- cal process, was invented at Soho, and brought to such perfection, as to be taken for originals, by the most experienced connoisseurs. This was chiefly conducted by the ingenious Mr. F. Egerston, which led him to that of painting upon glass, now carried on at his neighbouring manufactory. Mr. Bouiton, finding the stream of water insufficient^ apphed horses, in conjunction with WARWICKSHIRE STATION. SGl 3us watcr-miil ; but, this proving troublesome, irregular, and expensive, in l/o?, he made a steani-engme, on Savary's plan, with the inten- tion of returning and raising the water about twenty-five feet high. This being unsatis- faetory, he soon after formed an aequaintanee with Mr. James Watt, of Glasgow, his present partner and friend, who, in 17^5, had invented several valuable improvements in the steam-en- gwe, which, in fact, made it a new machine. For the.sfe improvements, 'he had obtained a patent, in I769, and afterwards came to settle at Soho, where, in that year, he erected one of his improved engines, which he had brought from Scotland ; and, after full proof of its uti- lity, obtained from parhament, in 1/75, a pro- longation of his patent for twenty-five years, from that date. He then entered into partner- ship with Mr. Boulton, and they established a very extensive manufactory of these engines, at Soho, /rom whence most of the great mines and manufactories in England are supplied. The apphcation of this improved steam-en- gine extended the powers of Mr. Boulton's water-mill, which induced him to rebuild it, a second time, upon a much larger scale; and several engines were afterwards erected at Soho, for other purposes, by which the manu- factory was greatly extended. 3()2 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEANINGS. It would fill a large volume to detail the suits occasioned by the piracies of this invalu- able invention ; but Boulton and Watt were uniformly victorious, and their patent-right was fully established by the unanimous decision of the court of King's Bench. The following facts will shew the wonderful powers and de- cided superiority of these engines. One bushel of Newcastle or Swansea coals, applied to one of them, will raise thirty millions of pounds weight of water one foot high ; or three mil- lions ditto, ten feet high; or three hundred thousand ditto, one hundred feet high ; or the like proportion to any other height; or one bushel of coals will do as much work as ten strong horses can effect, acting together for one hour ; or, will turn twelve hundred or more cotton spinning spindles for one hour; or will grind and dress from eleven to twelve bushels of wheat; or will grind two hundred and sixty-six bushels of malt for a brewery, &c. &c. Among the various application of the steam-engine, that of coining is very impor- tant, as, by its powers, all the operations are coucentred in the same spot ; — such as rol- ling the cakes of copper hot into sheets ; fine rolling the same cold in steel polished rollers ; cutting out the blank pieces of coin, which is WARWICKSHIRE STATIOX. 363 done with greater ease and facility by girls than coukl possibly be done by strong men. The steam-engine also performs other opera- tions, — such as shaking the coin in bags; and, lastly, it works a number of coining-machines with greater rapidity and exactness, by a few boys, than could be done by a great number of strono- men, without endana'erino- their fin- gers; as the machine itself lays the blanks upon the die perfectly concentred with it, and when struck displaces one piece and replaces another. The coining-mill, which M'as erected in 1788, and has since been greatly improved, is adapt- ed to work eight machines, and each is capa- ble of striking from seventy to eighty-four pieces of money per minute, the size of a gui- nea, which is equal to between thirty thou- sand and forty thousand per hour ; and, at the same blow, which strikes the two faces, the edge is also struck, either plain or Avith an in- scription u])on it ; and thus every piece be- comes perfectly round and of equal diameter, which is not the case with any other national money ever put in circulation. Such a coining-mill, erected in the national mint, would, in cases of emergency, be able to coin all the bullion in the Bank of Ertgland, at a short notice, without the necessity of put- S()4 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. ting dollars, or other foreign coin into circu^* lation ; and, by erecting double the number of presses, a double quantity may be coined. Most justly has Dn Darwin observed, that the " whole of this magnificent and expensive apparatus moves with such superior excellence and cheapness of workmanship, as well as with such powerful machinery, as must totally prevent clandestine imitation; and, in conse- quence, save many lives from the hand of the executioner; a circumstance well worthy the attention of a great minister. If a civic crown were given, in Rome, for preserving the life of one citizen, Mr. Boulton should be cO" vered with garlands of oak." It is worthy of observation, that the ground , of the silver money coined by this machine has a much finer and blacker pohsh than the money coined by the common apparatus. In consequence of Mr. Boulton's money be- ing perfectly round, and of equal diameter, he proposed the following coincidence between money, weights, and measures, in the copper coins, viz. a twopenny piece to weigh two ounces, and fifteen of th^m to measure two feet ; one penny piece to weigh one ounce, and seventeen of them to measure two feet ; half- penny to weigh half an ounce, and ten of them to measure one foot; a farthing to weigh tV'AiaVICKSHIR£ 5.TATI0y. SG^ nnc quarter of an ounce, and twelve to mea- sure one foot. This plan was prevented from being put into execution, by the sudden ad- vance in the price of copper. ' In 1788, Mr. Eoulton struck a piece of gold, the size of a guinea, as a pattern, simi- lar to those of copper. The letters were in- dented instead of being in relief; and the head and other devices, although in relief, were protected from wear by a broad, flat border; and, from the perfect rotundity of shape, &c. M'ith the aid of a steel gage, it may. Math great ease and certainty, by ascertaining its specific gravity, be distinguished from any base metal. Previous to Mr. Boulton's enga- ging to supply government with copper pence, in order to bring his apparatus to perfection, he exercised it in coining silver money for the Sierra Leone and the African com.pany, and cop- per for the East- India company and Bermudas. Various beautiful medals of our celebrated naval and other officers, &c. have likewise be^n struck here, from time to time, by Mr. Boul- ton, for the purpose of encouraging ingenious artists to revive that branch of sculpture, "svhich had been upon the decline in this king- dom since the death of Symonds, in the reign of Charles II. This mint is now coining a very small species S66 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS. of copper money for the East-India compa- ny, called one cash, seven hundred and fifty of them making a pound of copper. Each press coins one hundred and twenty per minute. Mr. Boulton having sent, as a present to the late Emperor of Russia, some of the most cu- rious produce of this manufactory, received, in return, a very handsome letter and valu- able accompaniments. The letter, written in French, was, in purport, as follows : '' Mr. Boulton, I thank yon for the divers articles made at your manufactory, which you have sent me. I receive them as a mark of your attachment to me. Mr. S. who has com- municated to me a knowledge of your charac- ter, will remit to you this letter, on my part, and I recommend him to your favour. I send you herewith a , medal, in gold; as a mark of my esteem and affection; and I pray God to take you into his holy protection. Paul. Moscow, the 15 —S6 April, 1797. This gold medal is deemed a very strong- likeness of the late emperor, and is finely en- graved ; but what adds to its curiosity is, that the die was engraved by the hands of his im- perial consort, who distinguished her taste and talents, in early youth, by modelling por- WARWICKSHIRE STATION. S^f traits of her majesty's family and friends in wax, and afterwards made great progress in engraving, both in stones and in steel. The presents, which accompanied the medal, were a collection of Siberian minerals, and of all the modern money in Russia, in gold, sil- ver, and copper ; the Russian weights and measures, with a collection of two hundred very large and finely-engraved bronzed cop- per medals of all the distinguished characters of that country, recording most of its victo- ries and great events ; also the portraits of his two sons, the present amiable emperor and his brother. In order to attain the desired perfection, in their steam-engines, Messrs. Bolton and Watt found it necessary to erect an iron-foundry, at Smethwick, at a convenient distance, into which a branch of the Birmingham canal enters, and thereby the coals, his iron, sand, &c. arc^ brought, and their engines, or other heavy goods, are transported in boats to every part of the kino-dom, there beins: a wet dock with- in the walls. This great work was erected (in partnership with tlieir sons, who possess hereditary talents) from a plan previously digested, and not from disjoined ideas, in three winter months ; and the extensive experience of the proprietors ha^J ^S$ SUPPLEMEXTxVRY GLEANINGS. applied the power of steam to boring cvliti* ders, pumps, &c. to drilling, to turning, to blowing their melting furnaces, and to what- ever tends to abridge human labour, and se- cure accuracy. In viewing this immense fa- bric, the spectator is most agreeably struck with the extraordinary neatness and regularity which pervades the whole, from the common operations of the anvil to fabricating the ponderous and massive parts of the steam- engines. To detail the mechanical and philosophical transactions of Soho, and enumerate its mul- tifarious productions, would not only be tedi- ous but superfluous. Considered in a national view, the undertakings of Mr. Boulton are of infinite importance. By collecting around him artists of various descriptions, rival talents have been called forth, and, by successive Competition, have been animated and multipli- ed to an incredible extent. The rays of scat-' , tered genius have been concentrated in a point so luminous, that its s])lendour has reached the the remotest shores of Europe and America. Works which, in their infancy, Avere little at- tended to, now occupy several acres, and give constant employment to more than six hundred persons. No cxpen e has been spared to render these works not only neat and commodious, but '^VARW1CKSHTRE STATION. 369 \miform in aspect, and handsome in architec- ture; and a barren heath, where the rabbit burrowed, and the lapwing screamed, is now covered with plenty and population* The same. liberal spirit and creative genius has the great and worthy proprietor gradually exercised in the adjoining " groves, gardens, and pleasure grounds, which render Soho a much admired scene of picturesque beauty. In the extensive new plantations we see the most extraordinary effects produced by irri- gation, with the powerful aid of the steam- engine, w'hich, when at liberty from its other labours, forces up water, by pipes, to the sum- mit of these grounds; so that M'hen all other vegetation is parched and perishing, these shrubberies are amply supplied with genial moisture, and reward their ingenious ^benefac- tor by the most grateful foliage. Here also we see the new hydraulic ram, which is a self- moving water-work, applicable to agricultural purposes, and constructed with great ingenu- ity and simplicity. The house, which was before much too small for its hospitable owner, has been lately enlar- ged, in a style of Grecian beauty. At the top of the roof, which is made very neat and com- modious for common or tclescopiq observa- VOL. I. li b 370 St^PPLEIilENtARt GLEANINGS. tions, the prospect is equally extensive snd delightful. In the adjoining groves, near the banks of^ glassy lakes and murmuring waterfalls, we lose every vestige of art, though so near its con- fines. The works of the neighbouring Soho are forgotten, and the smoky wreathes of Bir- mingham melt in the sky. Here, as if in scenes of distant seclusion, you, Mr. Gleaner, may meditate, as a philosopher, or woo the Muse, as a bard. A beneficial plan has been long established by the worthy proprietor of the Soho manufac- tory and foundry, by which each manufacturer is obliged to leave a small" proportion of hi& weekly earnings, for sickness, age, accident, &c. &c. This, being stopped out of his wa- ges, is sure to be a regular accumulation for the benefit of the contributor — a plan highly worthy of imitation. — Gleaner^ SKETCH MORAL, ^ERSO^UL, AND DOMESTIC STATE ARTISANS OF BIRMINGHAM, B b 2 BIRMINGHAM. THE foregoing accounts, of the different branches of trade, having been now laid before you, including an idea of the place and of the people, partly by the help of my ally, and partly by my own collections, you are thus prepared to accompany me, not as a stranger, but as a man and a philanthropist, who feels sensibly for the honours and comforts of such a prodigious com- munity. You are hence enabled to enter into a closer examination of those things, which, in so bustling a scene, lie concealed from the gay and rapid part of the world, under those smooth and attracting surfaces of society, which so often bewilder and deceive the hasty examiner i and, from their general confusion, or, from the particular interest each man takes in his owii concerns, are but partially seen by those who live and move in the midst of them. In looking steadily at my subject, I found that the easiest mode would be to divide the information into certain given points of in- quiry; and, by pleasant and useful association with all orders of men, particularly those who, by official situation, or local circumstances, and, 374 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS, above all, by independence of mind and can^ dour of disposition, as well as by taking time to compare one point of intelligence with ano- ther, and to try each by the test of my own reason and observation, I trust vou will re- ceive a faithful and impartial statement of what is most interesting to you, as a citizen of the world, and a friend of man. It appeared to me, that the great objects to be investigated, respecting the manufacturers, would separate into the following points of in- quiry : 1. State of their manners and morals ? 2. Of their comforts, whether proportioned to what might be expected from the profits of their labour ? 3. And, if not, whence t;e iai;ure? 4. How do they pass their leisure hours ? 5. How their isabbath days ? 6. In what state is their integrity, as co?ifideniiaI ipersons, who may have opportunities to defraud their employers ? 7. What are their habits of cleanliness? How are they lodged ? how fed ? 8. Do they in general save or dissipate ? Q. Do they economise for future independence in sickness «nd old age ; or do they spend what they get in youth and health, and look to the poor-house as their dernier resort, with a. sort of satisfaction, from which people, who have the least reverence of themselves, shudder but to think of, and use «very effort to prevent ? 10. Are the common pot-bouses much frequented ? 11. What were the numbers dratted from that part of War- wickshire to supply the exigences of the war ? WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 375 12. Have any artisans returned as volunteers to the maim- ^actories since the peace ? 13. Are there any beneficial dub-societies instituted by ^eir employers or themselves for diminishing the public bur- Jens, and producing a fund for and by theraselvjBS, as in the Soho institution ? 14. The state of apprenticeship? J 5. Poor-house bills of fepe ? l6. Work -house weekly statements in time of scarcity, and at present? To these questions I obtained, partly in conversation, partly in correspondence, the following answers : 1. Their manners and morals must, in this general way, b^ pronounced licentious and abandoned. 2. Their comforts, and particularly that of their families, are, hence, no way commensurate to their industry. 3. The question is included in the reply given to the first. 4. The bulk of them are wasted in indolence, sloth, or per- nicious activity ; but not a few in sober repose, or in the culti- vation of their little garden, of which I shall enlarge here- Sifter. 5. It cannot be supposed that they who mispend their tim^ through the ordinary week '* should keep holy the Sabbatji day/' 6. The opportunities to defraud are innumerable ; and it is to be feared nefarious practices are in proportion. The temptations to dishonesty are as manifold as the instances in which they avail themselves of the opportunity. The seventh question must be divided. The manufacturers of Birmingham, though generally well fed and lodged, are by ^o meaiis in the habits of cleanliness. The eighth must be answered to the general disadvantage of this part of the people. On the ninth question we shall, in its appropriate place, 576 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. have much to say. In the mean time, I have to observe, that I find it a common expression, with the unthinking and disso- lute part of the artisans, to advert to the poor-house as a cer- tainty. They call it going home. The tenth query must have a decided affirmative. Of the eleventh question, it is to be remarked, that, in Bir- mingham and its environs, not less than 75,000 were drafted, as soldiers and sailors, from this county in the course of the war ; and yet one of the lamentable effects of that war was the de- cay of trade, which did not allow sufficient employment to keep the remainder of the manufacturing poor, in the early part of 1797, and not less than 1000 became volunteers at that period. About 12,000 have become volunteers since; and one would have expected, that, when such a number of labourers were taken away, there would have bc«n a want of hands. The reverse was the case : there were still too many hands for the manufacturers here; and certainly in conse- cfuerice of the war. The amount of those who connect with the twelfth question is very considerable. On the beneficial clubs, as well as the state of apprenticeship, alluded to in questions thirteen and fourteen, we shalLexpatiate in due time and placel Questions fifteen and sixteen Avill be accurately answered by the following documents, with which I have been favoured, by the present intelligent and liberal overseers, to whom I am indebted for various inforniJition. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 377 Binningkam Work-fiuuty of Middlesex, for that district, there are 25,402 houses, whereof 1016 are licensed public-houses, and in this division there were 145 liquor-shops last year. The proportion, therefore, is, 1 public-hmcse to every 24 private houses. In the division of the Tower Royalty, under the jurisdiction of magis- trates, specially commissioned for that district of the metropolis, there ar« 750 houses, whereof 43 are licensed public-houses. TJie proportion, therefore, is, 1 public-house to every 16 private houses. In the city of London and its environs, including the borough of Soutli- wark, and the surrounding towns and villages in Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, and Essex, witliin ten miles of the capital, it is computed that there are about 6000 licensed ale-bouses, and the average upon the whole is supposed to be about 26 private houses to 1 public-house, taking it on the scale of 156,000 inhabited houses in and near the metropolis. In the above limits, it is calculated, that, including invuites arid lodgers, there are about 22'2,000 families, who are, more or less, customers to ale- houses, and upon this data The proportion is 1 public-house to every o7 families. It has been generally understood, that about 60 families are necessary to support a creditable newly-establislied ale-house, and the best proof that can be adduced in support of this position is, the frequent shifting of tenants, occasioned, no doubt, from the want of trade, arisuig principally from the circumstance of the average number of families to each public-house, being, at least, one-third short of what is supposed to be necessary to support a reputable trade. Ill the Tower Hamlets alone (which forms only one-sixth part of the ■whole) there are 127 bouses, which, in the course of the last four years. WARWICKSHIRE STATION'. 409 in general, as deficient in those duties as their husbands. They are lamentably unlit for liave been occupied by no less than 498 different publicans, and from which, of course, 371 tenants liave found it necessarj', or have in guncra! been cofn- pelled to withdraw llieniselves : in many instances, perhaps from thence to a jail. If changes to the same extent have taken place all over the capital and its environs, the number of publicans who have been deprived of the means of living, in this way, must have amounted to upwards of iiOOO in the course of four years ! I'pon this calculation, the accuracy of which has not been disputed, the injury to the public, arising from extending licenses too far, is obvious. It is not an object to good men to become publicans, where the hazard is so great; and hence it follows, that bad and profligate characters often get into public houses, who tolerate every kind of immorality and disorder, to create a trade, which they are generally obliged to abandon at last, to the great ii>- jury of brewers and distillers, who are not less interested in reducing the number of public houses than tho magistrates, seeing that the consumption of liquors nnist always be nearly the same, and that the injury arises from the trade being in too many hands, by which the morals of the lower ranks are corrupted, and the best interests of society injured, through the medium of ill-regulated and disorderly public-houses, where the most reprehensible means are made use of, in order to create a trade. To remedy the evils which have been thus detailed, much will depend on the exercise of the investigating and discriminating powers of active, zealous, and intelligent magistrates; apd still more on the support and assistance which will be derived from those of their brethren, whose habits and incli- nations are less devoted to laborious investigations, in acting under the in- fluence of such facts and observations as shall be brought under their consi- deration : in giving the subject a patient and full consideration, so as to en- able them to act under the impulses of truth, without being open to that species of influence, in their ultimate decisions, which the applications of interested individuals, or the temporary claiuonrs of a narrow circle, may create; and, when practiced upon weak mincB, or minds not fullv in pos- session of the subject, often defeat the best objects that ever were devised for the public good. Mr. Colquhoun asserts a most awful truth, when he says. It is impassible to coutcrapiatc the subject, as it relates to the community, in any point of view. 410 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS, wives, v.hich will always be the case v/berc women are brought up in the shops or manu- vithvout feeling its iinporliincc. The foundation of all good police — of all happiness, comfort, and security in society, is to be traced to the morals of the lower ranks of the people. — If they cannot be preserved, in a greater degree than at present, profligacy and universal "anarchy and confusion will sap the foundations of the state. It follows, tliat while it is in public-houses chiefly that morals are corr nipted, the proper regulation of these places of resort, especially ia aut| abour a great and overgrown capital, is a matter of infuiitely laorc import- ance to the interest of the state and to the security of individuals, as well as to the j)eacc and good order of society, than appears at lirst view. The above able magistrate introduces regulations, cliielly respect- ing granting and rfcfusirig licences, with a view to public and private advan- tage. 1 he Gleaner mpst sincerely regrets^ the want of room to give this pro- position in detail. He has already sacrificed many, perhaps more generally pleasing topics, intended for this volume, and must offer up many gayer themes, on the altar of public good, to admit even this very imperfect sketch of the important subject immediately in question ; but Mr. Colqa- lioun's pamphlet is beiore tire public, and to that he must refer the reader. It was first published in the year ITOii principally with a view of bringing the subject n«;re iully under the consideration of the licensing magistrates ; so that, by awakening the attenlfpn to some very pronnnent abuses which affect the best interests of society, a system miglit be laid down for liie pur- pose of at least lessening tlios^ evils which have too long prevailed, with re- gard to public houses, and in tlfe gradual abolition of which, by mild and temperate measures, steadily and uniformly pursued, infinite advantages -»'ouid arise to the community. , If this great object can be attained— if |:he pernicious habit of living ir» alehouses, so prevalent at present ajaong the labouring pqople, can in any degree be checked, so as to secure to them those domestic comforts whicii the eamingsof their industry, when properly and economically applied, would afford in their own homes, if the rising generation, destined for labour, and^ for those useful purposes where the preservation of health and morals become of great consequence to the community, can be prevented from prematurely frtjquenting those schools of profligacy, which render them diseased and de- praved i)i early life. If fraud and deceptipn, regarding the dis^wsul and, WARWICKSIIIUZ STATION. 411 factories, because this allows no time for atten- tcntion either to the decencies or the discretion of life. The very state of childhood is almost necessarily abandoned by mothers who are en- gaged in the work-sliops of this town. Till the boys and girls can themselves get into occupa- tion, tliey are suffered to run loose in the day, and to ramble at night. And, as idleness is the nurse of licentiousness, who leads them, the little unprotectcti creatures, into constant temp- tation, no wonder if they almost as constantly fall into the snare. Generally speaking, there- transfer of aldiouscs can, in any degree, be prevented : and if that s^-stein can be gradually introduced, and steadilj' persevered in, wliicb sliall rea- der public houses a convenience, wilLout becoming nuisances and recepta- cles for the destruction of health and morals, it will, indeed, be "A consummation, devoutly to be wish'd." For the two leading queries, on which, indeed, ha:ig, more or less, all the others, I am resolved to find place. 1. Whether it shall not be established as a rule, to grant no license to any new public house, unless it can be made clearly evident that there are at least, from fifty to sixty families in the neighbourhood, who- are likely to re- sort to that house for their beer, or that the local situation is otherwise so advantageous as to hold out a fair piospect of supporting a family. '2. Whether it would not be a proper rule, also, to deny -the renewal of licenses to those particular houses, which are found to have been constantly changing tenants for a course of years ; (if, on a full investigation it shall appear that these changes have arisen merely from want of trade, and not by bad liquors or improper management,) under a conviction, that such bouses not only injure the brewers, but are lures to entrap the unwary, aad to increase the ruin and devastation, which has brought so many publicans tu » jail, aa^ their families to misery and want .' 412 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. fore, the rising generation of artisans are initi- ated into the principles and practice of vice, before they are either oi[ age or strengtJi to take tlie lowest place in the repositories of art : and, with such rudiments of knowledge, they come into the shops, where both sex grow up into man and woniiin-hood to^bther, without a single check upon propensity jo«p p^§sion. Boys, girls, men, and ■\y0mcD5'" "-frequently associate, and there is scarcely a line of separation drawn, either by policy, decorum, or sexual distinction. So that the work of the manuficturer be carried on, too many, it is to be feared, are totally in- different whether vice or virtue, health or dis- ease, modesty or indecency, compose the soci- ety. But what makes it the more flagrant is, that these associations are necessary to the chil- dren who are in training for the manufactures. The men and women teach the boys and girls the mingled industry and immorality they liave learned themselves. The contagion of good example, with respect to the trade, and of bad, with regard to morals, are inculcated at one and the same time ; and, as the mould and the material, the forge and the fire, arc not more in contact than the corrupt discourse and the ingenious exertions of the artisans, the youths, who would be proficients in the last, must in-.; evitably become adepts in the first ; so that, • WAR^riCKSHIRE STATfO^^ 413 according to the present S3'stem, those who would save their morals mast lose their trade. How little such a nursery for the child, such a seminary for the youth, and such a society for adults, is calculated to form men or women into faithful servants, liberal masters, honour- able lovers, tender couples, or affectionate pa- rents, you need not be tbld. There is not, iu effect, a single half-hour in the twenty-fouv that is free from mere manual labour, the fa- tigue which follows it, the diseases of a seden- tary life, and close-crowded places, or the countless ills to which the influence of evil communications are liable : — no, . my dear ' baron, there is scarcely half an hour in half a year that is unencumbered from one or the other of these, to be afi^brded for the purity of the body, or the instruction of the mind; and in regard to that daiy, which I am proud to say is, by comparison, not so irreverently treated in any part of England as in her towns of iija- nufacture. — In regard to the sabbath I have already exhibited to you a true picture of the manner in which it is passed by the children of the artisans, and poor of this place. It is no- torious, that although, during the time of di- vine service, f(^r of the magistrates keeps the boys and girls from the church-yard, there is not one in a hundred of them to be seen in tlie 414 SUPPLLMEXTARY GLEANINGS. cliurcli. And how far a laxity of morals is in- ducedi by a disregard even to the ceremonies of public worship, is demonstrated, even by these very boys and girls, the instant that wor- ship is over. Fiom that moment till the bed- time of these little ravagers, that sacred and beantiful circle is, as I have before observed, turned into a play -ground; and, as soon as these liave vacated the scene, I am solemnly informed, by those in whose bosom truth could never be warped by prejudice, that many of the fathers and mothers, or of their grown-np offspring, fill the paths to a slill worse purpose, and conti- nue their profanations through most part of the night. Are you not prepared, my friend, for the re- mark which seems inevitably attached to such a series and i^uccession of loose and unprincipled habits ? Do you not expect I should inform you, that marria^'e amon2;st the artisans is in def'p decline, and that every other kindred and ho!y tie partakes this misfortune? Where there is no time left, or room allowed, for the soft attentions of tlie cradle, for the opening powers of the soul, in a virtuous education ; for the endearing offices of son and daughter, in a virtuous example ; for the uncontaminated pur- suit of an honest calling ; for the observations and instructions necessary to a good housewife. WAinVICKSHIRE STATION. 415 and particularly to the wife of the artisan, who is sometimes tlniwn ahroacl to find M'hat he sees not at home ; for the sweet intere]it\nge of thought and cultivation of heart, which afc so essential to a happy union ; and, lastly, where tliere is every engine set in motion to discoun- tenance and dethrone all these household charms and virtues: what hut unsound youtli, enfeebled manliood, and diseased old age ; what but the prostitute substituted for .the wife, obscene lewdness for innocent love, and the common alehouse and brothel instead of a comfortable home, can be the consequence. And what, too, but filial disobedience, and dis- dain of the parental character — that august title in days of simplicity ! — can proceed from progeny thus brought up ? This latter consideration leads me to notice another important mischief to this town, as a manufactory, namely, the custom of out-ap- prentices, or not being bound at all : from whence springs evils, moral and commercial, almost beyond numbering. I have to inform you, that, from the year 1784 to 17'89, every fa- ther prepared his son for a regular apprentice- Khip with the manufacturers; and, during this period, there was a kind of double paternity, in the care of the youths, resulting Irojn fathers and masters. The excellent effects of this was 415 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIXGS. manifest in every possible way. There was a sort of guard fenced around the tender and growing plant, which cherished the flourishing leaf, and preserved the goodly fruit ; and the best children, the most faithful lovers, and the happiest mamages were amongst the blessed results of this well-regulated period. But the expansion of trade made it in a manner neces- sary to employ extra hands ; and a certain number of boys were hired on jobs, to complete particular orders, or facilitate general aug- mented conmierce. If this was a benefit to the trade of 'the town one way it was a mise- rable disadvantage to its morals another. The high wages of the supernumerary-boys soon proved to the youths apprenticed that they had bound themselves up, for a term of years, for a less sum than they could have earned had they been in a situation to volunteer their ser- vices by the week, month, or the job. By degrees, this not only struck at the root of apprenticeship, but tended to give the young men an undue idea of their own importance and independence; and, ultimately, to loosen the sacred bond^ of duty and love betwixt pa- rents and children; of course, to sow the seeds of t]iat disobedience and misrule, which grows out of an untimely and premature power iu WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 417 young persons when delivered over to them- selves. Nor must we, in this enumeration of the great causes of a defective state of morals in this town, forget to observe upon the wicked industry with which licentious principles have been propagated. The manufactories, my friend, have their politicians and republicans as well as the barber's shop and the ale-house, yea, and their revolutionists, lloberspieres, and atheists, are as numerous and as fierce, and it is as common to hear the downfal of states, the high and low church party, the indivisi- bility of the great nation, the imperfection of thrones and dominions, and the perfectability of human nature, the bill of rights and the bill of wrongs, discussed and determined in casting a button, or ^pointing a pin, as at the Devil Tavern, or the Robin- Hood-Society ! aye, believe me, and almost with as much sa- gacity as in more popular assemblies, and with quite as much party rage and patriotic violence. All this would be pleasant enough were its noise and nonsense to be the M'orst. It is not una- musing to hear the roaring, nor to view the foam of the sea, were the sound and sight un- connected with the terrors and mischiefs of a storm, in which many of our fellow-creatures may be struggling or sinking to the bottom, VOL. I. E e 418 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANIICX5S. » while we are looking- only, from some secure part of the beach, at the agitations of the sur- face. , But the elementary tempest does not more frequently overwhelm the mariner . than the political hurricane the manufacturer ; and, in- deed, the slight intellectual skiff of the latter is more easily upset, by any sudden gust of pas- sion or of party, than a Thames wherry in the Bay of Biscay. The rocks of treason, and the quicksands of rebellion, equally threaten his, destruction ; and, if he escapes these, he is in danger from both the shallows and depths of infidehty. To speak without allusion, I know not any thing w^hich has a greater tendency to warp a weak and vacant mind, from simple conversation about governments, into the worst extremes and inflammations, almost as fatal in their loyalty as in their opposition ; and those w^ho know the history of the most dreadful revolutions can confirm iny assertion, that thev have besun in thino-s as idle as the froth and bubble in a pail of water, and ended in rivers of blood. This reminds me to enrol amongst the sub- ordinate evils, at least, of this important town, a practice which would be much more " honoured in the breach than the observance." T allude to the incredible multitudes gathered WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 419 together on every public occasion, but particu- larly round the police-office. That part of the High-street, which leads to the house, where the magistrates assemble, is invariably crowded, on the sitting days, by greater numbers than are to be seen in the neighbourhood of Bow- street ; in which more rogues, of ^very descrip- tion, are daily examined than a man, new to the vices of society, could suppose would be dispersed through the jails of the kingdom in a twelvemonth. And it seems incredible, how such a prodigious concourse of idle persons should be collected in a town devoted to active industry ; yet they are collected in the space of a few minutes, and block up the passage both of man and of beast, elbowing and shoul- dering each other, even to the door-way and windows of the office, as well when there is only the ordinary business of the morning as when any notorious gang of offi[?nders, — the clippers and coiners of the place, for instance, — are under examination. These mobs are com- posed of people of all ages, and of both sexes, and in this sweltering way they continue wedged together from the beginning to the end of the sitting. Hundreds of them are to be seen standing tiptoe to gain a prospect of the house of examination, every part of which they watch, for hours together, with as nmch eagcr- E e 2 420 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEATJ^INGS. iiess and solicitude as if they were waiting the final judgement passed on the dearest friend or bitterest enemy they had in the world ; al- though, nineteen times out of tM^nty, the greater part of them neither know the crimi- minals or the nature of the oifence. What can possibly be the inducement is not easy to ascertain ; probably a curious and strange mixture of cmelty, curiosity, and idle- ness : for, as to any thing shaped like pity, it is clean cut out of the question, by the beha- viour of the mob at the close of the trial. They crowd about the culprits, whether composed of men or women, follow them through the streets, scarcely allowing a path for the beadle, con- stables, &c. and attend them to the very gate of the prison; and, having picked up in their way the story of the oifence, with the nature, degree, place, and time of its punishment, they resign the victims, without bestowing another thought about their fate till that time comes round, and then, with little emotion, natural or moral, enjoy another morning's lounge, to see that punishment inflicted. To the thinking part, however, of the com- munity — to the men of profession, or of bu- siness — to the enlightened magistrates and re- spectable merchants of the place — to all those Avho have the wisdom and the opportunity to I WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 421 look at these things — to measure the effects by the causes, and to pursue both to their ul- timate consequences, there is far more than meets tlie common eye or vulgar ear. To such lionourable and sagacious persons, and very many of them are to be found in Birmingham, it is mote than irksome, it is portentous, to see ten or twenty offenders in a day, each of whom are violaters of the awful, yet benignant laws of their country, or of the harmonious order of so- ciety, dragged before the tribunal of justice ; and the contemplation takes a yet more alarm- ing form, when this daily examination of as many men and women as might form the dark kalendar of a county assize, — to see these, I say, arraigned, convicted, and punished, with- out its diminishing the crimes and misdemean- ors of the town, in the active and upright ma- gistracy of a series of years. This fact shows, of itself, to what little moral purpose the mobs, Avho attend the criminals, are gathered togetlier, and tliat the influence of example, as to its operation on the great body so congregated, is very inconsiderable, or, at any rate, no way in proportion to what would be the case, were the multitude to assemble on the pure and wor- thy principle of seeing vice punished, and res- cued innocence rewarded. It is, hence, rather to b*e presumed, that those who compose the 4^2 SUPPLEMEXTARY GLEANIXCS. majority of such assemblies, are impelled by far less laudible motives; nor is it bearing hard on the parties thus associated, to conclude, that idleness and curiosity are but the exterior and ostensible reasons. A multitude of this description is a many-headed monster ; and whose apparent slumber, like that of some other ferocious animal, is counterfeited to delude and secure its prey. It sees and hears with but too quick and fell a power ; it is ivatching even when it is not roaming for its pre}^ ; it lies per- due but to be ready for the fullest opportunity ; and, in that moment, it opens all its mouths to seize its victim. Had I not my fears, the allusion, which I assure you is but too accurate, might be run out of breath, I should beg you would suf- fer me to pursue it yet farther. I should re- quest you to understand that almost every thing at motion or at rest, that is within reach, is food for this public monster, who. Colossus like, strides the High-street of Birmingham. Even the exits and entrances of the stage- coaches, though they are the common objects, at statect hours, through the year, bring to- gether hundreds of people, who hang about the wheels, and watch every minutios of the loading, packing, cramming, and confusion. And, by the by, this overcharging our pCiblic ■\VAR\VICK.SIII RE STATION-. 423 vehicles is, in itself, a blushing proof of the proprietors and drivers of those carriages, who are generally parts of the monster in question, holding themselves triumphant over any regard for the safety or lives of his Majesty's subjects. In defiance of these considerations, or of acts ■of parliament, or of the mai>istrates, under whose eyes they dare to break them, because they dare eveiy thing, tliere is scarcely one out of the hundred public conveyances, in daily movement, which does not double and often treble ^the passengers allowed by the laws of the land. The penalties annexed to such tres- passes, it is true, are frequently levied, but are so disproportionate to tlie general profit upon such overloading, that the parties con- cerned can afford now and then to break a leg or an arin, and occasionally a neck, and pay for mending them, or for compromising with the relatives of such accidents as are irrepara- ble, and be gainers *' by the bargain, ' * Several of the public vehicles, on the Bath and South- ampton roads for instance, are made so lop heavy, that it is even fearful to look at them ! But, as most coach-accidents, except in cases of absolute death, are sunk upon the public, and as these are nqt the sort of casualties Recorded in tlie pror vincial prints, for certain xi-tighty reasons, a few eimple frac- tures are passed over in profitable silence ; and, as to acts of 424 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. Next to the ill omen of collected thousands, flocking together in the manner above descri- bed, is the grouping of smaller bodies of men, stuck, as it were together in a wedge, at the corners of the most public streets. This is among the petty nuisances of this highly-po- parliament, a coachman literally smacks his whip at them. I was myself once hardy enough to threaten a complaint; the coachman laughed defiance ; a fellow passenger advised me to silence : " I actually did complain," said he, " the fel- low was fined, and the next time I travelled the road pointed me out as an informer, and said I might accuse him again if I thought proper, ii% ^ he could •fford it ; ' pointing, at the same time, to the roof of his coach, at that moment passing the turnpike leading into a town. It was certainly," added the gentlemen, " a triumphant reference, for the roof was piled, mountain high, with men, women, and luggage. The townsfolk looked up as to a curiosity : the tollman, whose office it is to make note and report these things, joined the laugh, the outside passengers were delighted, the coachman huzzaed, and he entered the town in triumph, with redoubled speed over the stones; — a constant point of this kind of ambi- tion, lashing up his horses, and reprobating his informers." The practice, however, is grown into a serious enormity, and is become a public nuisance, which extremely deducts from the pleasure of travel, and claims the intervention of ma- gistracy. Until some check takes place I humbly move that, instead of the Star, Sun, Jupiter, Duncan, Nelson, &c. all public carriages, except the mails, which are restricted, should he called Life and death machines, and their motto, Neck or nothins:. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 425 pulated town. This business, or rather this idleness, is really curiously manoeuvred. Eiglit or ten people, with their hands on their head, or in their bosoms, stand fixed in a stupid gaze at each other, very seldom converse, and yet seidomer appear to be in the least degree amused or interested ; yet they keep their sta- tion, occupying more than three parts of the foot- way, making it almost impossible to work your way through them. This well-compacted phalanx of loungers is so firm, that, although there appears to be neither aim nor end in it, I question whether the famous pass at Thermo- pike, was more stoutly disputed. Now, as I truly believe that, in this instance, if the per- sonages forming these groups, of which there is at least one in every public street in Bir- mingham, intend no good, they mean no harm, I could wish it were insinuated to them, that, as it must be a matter of indiffe- rence to them how they stand, they would contract and incorporate yet closer, and more into the horse and carriage parts of the street. This would really be a great accommodation to the active part of their fellow townsmen, and something of a convenience to themselves, as it would save much crowding and rubbing against each other, yet preserve them as idly and as lovingly together as before, with the 426 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXIN'GS. additional advantage of their having more lounging room ; and, as to the annoyance of now and then having their phalanx broken by a cart or a coach, and now and then a frac- ture, they might easily form again, in defiance of such casualties, and the public be insensi- ble of any loss whatever. But these are trilling impediments, my dear correspondent, and you perceive my pen has sported with them as such. They are among the little vexations which more or less belong to every extensive place, and whether they are removed, or whether they remain, is not very important. The evils which were described before, and were thrown into the account, are of greater magnitude, as of greater mor ment. It is grievous to observe that the result of my inquiries at other great commercial towns, where similar causes producing similar effects did not much soften the harsh features of the moral picture, so far as the artisans of different places assist in the drawing. The authentic reports which have been made form, en masse, a body of evidence, at once enormous in bulk and terrifying in fact. For the reasons already assigned, I can only give a few brief documents, which, however, will lead but too easily and naturally to deduc-^ WARWICKSHIRE STATIOX. 427 tions of what would be exhibited, had I yielded to my original design of going into the details. My advices from Lancashire * would of them- selves constitute a considerable volume; but you will, I think, be capable, from a ])artial abstract of the correspondence, of forming a judgement of the whole. I shall, in the first" place, select the manufactories in the parochia.! district of Padiham, \vhich consists of the townships of Padiham, Simonstone, (in which is Huntroids, the seat of Le Gendre Pierce Starkie, Esq. f) Hapton, Highamj and Hey- liouses. The town of Padiham, being central to the rest, is situated upon the high road, between Blackburn and Burnley, three miles from the latter, and exactly half way between Coin and Blackburn, being nine miles from each: so that the following ansMcrs to my questions;]: are to be understood as appertaining not only and specially to the place in question, but generally to the whole county immediate- ly circumjacent. * For the sake of bringing all that relates to this great sub- ject under one point of view, I shall incorporate the abstracts of my intelligence from Lancashire, and other manufacturing counties. •f An exalted character, the friend of the poor and of hu- man kind, J A duplicate of those received at Birmingham. 428 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAISMNGS. 1; The cotton-trade, or weaving of calicoes, being the grand staple of the county, almost every house may be styled a manufactory. Weaving-shops, containing from two to eight pair of looms, are frequently attached to cottages ; and for which a higher rent is, afforded than for the cottages them- selves ; and, where these are wanting, the house part, that is to say, the common living room, the parlour, or the chamber, and frequently all of them, are destined to contain looms in common with their appropriate furniture and uten- sils. As this trade was never known so good as it now is, the number of these manufactories, and of factories hereafter de- fined, is, at present, greater than at any previous period. Factories are mills for the spinning of cotton-wool, or for the purpose of winding it for the use of the manufacturer, and these mills are actuated by horses, by steam-engines, or by currents of water. Printing-houses and pcncilling-shops are places where calicoes, muslins, and other cotton-manufactured goods, by impression or pencil, receive their various tints. In these, children from six years old are employed, and can earn, even in tolerable times, an ample maintenance. These factories, and printing-houses, and pencilling-shops, abound on all hands of us. Padiham is likewise a central point to some of the first printing-houses in the kingdom ; namely, Messrs. Peel,* Yates, and Co. of Church ; Messrs. Fort, Hargreaves, and Co. of Oak- enshaw ; and Messrs. Bury and Co. of Pendlehill; besides many others. These respectable merchants, and highly estimable cha- racters, besides the concerns of their immediate province, as cot- ton-printers, have large spinning factories, winding-engines, and •warping-mills ; and carry on extensive manufactures of goods, to be afterwards bleached and printed by them. The whole county is upon the alert, in one department or other of the cotton-trade. * Sir Robert Peel, Bart, a gentleman universally appreciated for public spirit and private virtue. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 429 Here, Mr. Gleaner, your muse would be in despair; scarcely a streamlet is any where to be found, but what is dammed up, diverted, and tortured, to answer some of the purposes of this commerce ; and even the sacred recesses of ifionastic devotion arc, as the votaries of the convent would think, sacrilegiously perverted to the whirl of cotton-machinery. To the solemn chaunt of matins and vespers succeeds the horrible din of oaths and imprecations ; and the piety of our ancestors, who took such commendable pains in decorating the Houses of God, is now infamously scandalised with universal havoc and derange- ment ; with every nauseous species of external defilement, and of internal depraved manners and debauched morals. Whether this perversion be owing to want of taste, want of religion, defect in regard to antiquity, or respect to ancestry, or to what other motives is no part, I presume, of the Gleaner's present 'business to inquire. Great is the Goddess Cottoixia of t fie Lancastrians ! 2. Question is already answered in the above. 3. Of the state of manners and morals in our factories and other manufactories little can be said that will prove gratifying to the philanthropist. But of each in their order. Urbanit}^ is cer- tainly not increased amongst our artisans and mechanics since the great additional influence of commerce and manufactures. The primitive simplicity of manners is wofuUy exchanged for headstrong, positive churlishness. Boys and girls arc, from infancy, initiated in the mysteries of the loom, the pencil, the colourpot, the spinning Jenny, and the winding engine, which last are denominated knit-knotters, and are employed as early as they are able to tie a knot upon the broken thread. Hence a general ignorance prevails, of all domestic employments and the most ordinary agricultural pursuits. A girl does not even understand the use of hefr needle ; is accustomed, from child- hood to maturity, to put out her sewing, and all her niaking, and even mending. Consequently, she makes a sad dowdy of a mis- tress of a house; and is most miserably qualified to discharge 430 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. the important duties of a wife and a mother. Idleness, neglccf, raggedncss, and fi4thiness of course ensue; and tlie succeeding generation are early initialed in the same mysteries of deterio- ration; whilst the boys, on the other hand, when grown up to manhood, are, ia their departments, ignorant, even in coun- try phices, how to make a hedge or a ditch. Should the pro- vincial trade proceed for some time longer without a defalca- tion, in thirty years time there will not be found a man capable of making a fence, or even stopping a gap. And this is not all, the usual artificers, both in town and in the country, are now lessened in number, either by entering into some department of the cotton-trade, by death, or some other cause. Labour- ers and handicraftmen for the purposes of common lile are not to be met with in sufficient numbers. Their wages are conse- quently enormous, their convei-sation flippant, and their con- duct impertinent and ungrateful. This is also in a very espe- cial manner true of- menial servants in general. The Leeds merchant advertises in the Manchester papers, and the Man- chester manufacturer in the Leeds papers, for those dom'cstic servants, which, a few years ago, were to be had at moderate wages, and in tiic greatest plenty. The same may be said of master-smiths, masons, carpenters, and other handicraftmen, whose workmen, added to the above causes, are now rendered scai'ccr, by the great and excessive employment of cotton-spin- ners, cotton-manufacturers, and cotton-pi'inters. Of the morals of persons employed in factories no more pleasing picture can be drawn than of their maimers. The pro- miscuous intercourse of the sexes takes away that sharaefaced- ness, diffidence, and modesty, which is the criterion of youtlf of both sexes, brouglit up in dctaclicd situations; and which, either in amoral, national, or individual point of view arc but ill exchanged for a pctulent frowardncss of behaviour, a lascivi- ous eye, and a licentious tongue. Their temptations here, as in Birmingham, to purloin their employer's property are sa great and so frequent^ that it is not to be expected but disciples "VVARWICKSIIiRE SrATIOX, 431 educated in such schools of lax morality, must often give way to them. But more of this under the 12th interrogatory. Sut^ lice it for the present to observe, that commercial deprcdjitions were never so frequent, and that indecency and incontinency were never so flagrant amongst the. common people. As to the fii-st, the wiiter of this is credibly informed, by a respectable friend at Manchester, that divnkenness is there, even in maid- servants, cou/ikcd at, and that common peculatlonsy if they amount not to great enormity, are esteemed but as tenial errors. 4. The cottiforts of the poor, Mr. Gleaner, your appreciated theme, of those at least who will live comfortably, are, in this district, you will rejoice to hear, truly great. Wc abound in Coal, have naturally a healthy situation, pure air, and good uater. The trade of the county afibrds plenty of employment and good wages. In the haidest part of the late severe and pressing times our lubovring poor had suflicient for themselves and families^ For this, indeed, th<^y wrought two hours more in the four-and-twenty than usual. The factory-bell, instead of ringing on and oft' at six, then rang on at five and off" at seven. By these exertions, amidst all the tremendous sufiering of great part of the nation, the people here, habituated to labour and industry, comparatively speaking, suffered Uttlc. And the w ants and miseries of others were greatly relieved and assuaged by the bounty and munificence of the opulent. And in these unprecedented good times, there is so much more work to be done than labourers to perform it, that the masters of factories arc sending to different parts of Durham, Cumberland, and other remote parf^ of the north of England for hands. Perhaps the land-owner, some years hence, may smart under the effects of this importation. What pity, if we must import labourers, that such numbers should be permitted, to the amount of many fHousands, to emigrate to America, from Ireland, and the Highlands of Scotland ! Perhaps, in point o( domestic comfort, the families of labour^ 432 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. ers and artisans do not now experience that happy contrast to bad times which might reasonably be wished, and naturally ex- pected. Alas, where prudence, temperance, and economy, are wanting, all times will be hard times ! And there is but little difference between the domestic comforts of these pros- perous times, in ithe habitation of the labourer and mechanic, and the heavy pressure of the severest. The reason is obvious. When the weaver had five shillings for weaving a piece for •which he now gets ten ; when he paid sixpence a pound for flour, or six pounds a pack;* and five pence half-penny a pound, or five pounds ten shillings a load for oatmeal ; and foj malt, potatoes, and shambles-meat, in melancholy, wretched proportion, he contrived to live, and to maintain his family. Now that meal is selling under twenty-eight shillings a load, and flour at forty-six shillings a pack, he does no more, at double the wages. Perhaps they may be somewhat better clad. This is necessarily so; for, in the hard times, all income went for food. Time and labour had made dismal rents in the clothing; and the first efforts of the good times were to cover the poor back. But with this exception, and this cannot last for ever, there is little difference between the then and the now state of the labourer's family's comforts. The ale-house and the gin-shop, those absorbing vortexes just as you inform me is the case in Birmingham, swallow up all the rest. Idleness, disease, poverty, and wretchedness, neces- sarily ensue; of these are engendered, debauchery, misery, robbery and murder, punishment and death ; and, amidst such a train, it is no wonder we find every species of refracto- riness, disobedience to superiors, ingratitude to benefactors, and insubordination to magistrates, governors, and laws. • The pack of flour and load of meal are two hundred and forty pounds each ; so denominated from this weight being a proper load for a pack-horse, in these mouQtUBous parts, when that was the only mode of conveyance. WARWICKSHIRE STAT I OX. 433 Cj^htrasting with these the families and comforts of the truly laborious, the industrious, pi^dent, and sober, we contem- plate Avitli sorrow and indignation what would be the felici< tous state of the lowest orders were the l>ounties of Provrdence rightly appreciated.* Here we beheld clean, neat, well-fur-, nished houses, decent clothing, resjpfectful mannersj *and sound morals. Instead of the expensive haunts, the idle and expen- sive frippery of the factory flirt, and the cotton-spinning cox- comb, the termination of which we have already seen, we Lehold every decent comfort of life; a happy provision against .sicknes& and old age ; the fund for which is a sum out at interest, or laid out upon houses ; or, as in several instances, expended in the purchase of lands. The itesult of all which is, that the comforts of the labouring poor- are, generally speaking, very disproportionate to what might reasonably be expccied from the profits of their labours. • 5. Already answered in the above. 6. Mow the labouring manufacturers of this county pass that time not expended in the immediate duties of their respec- tive calling has, in some measure, been answered, under th(? 4th interrogatory; and what follows will, generally speaking, • The poor who possess the spirit of true Christiahity have something incal- culably precious. I have had instances, within my own observation, which have confirmed to me the truth of the following passage, transcribed from Cecil's Life of that excellent artist, and truly pious man, the late Mr. Bacon, and of which, pertiaps, the Gleaner may make some use, says another esteemed correspondent. " No unprejudiced observer, who regards this subject, as it respects the poor, but must have been struck with the ameliorating and eleva- ting tffect of true religion in their case. Even the most squalid wretch found among them, whose habits of stupidity, sensuality, and wild disorder, have sunk him below the brutes ; such an one may be sometimes seen rising, by religion, into a rationality that surprises the observer. The man awakes and looks upward-: he abstracts and compares, and, acting on his new uni. Iiigher sentimeuts, becomes, to all Intents, a true moral pljilosopher." VOL. I. F f 434 SUPPLEMENtARY GLEAKINdS; complete what is to be said under that head. In every town and village throughout the kingdom there is some place or anc*- ther dedicatxid to vulgar loungers and idle gossips of both sexes; as, for instance, a turnpike-bar, a bake-house, or a barber's shop. In these -places, which may not improperly be termed the parliament-heuse of the place,- are generally settled the whole routine of provincial politics, personal scandal*, and the haut ton of mischief and defamation. In spme of our towns it is in the public street ; aod in .one of thSm just under the w^lls of the church, where colliers, wcaA'ers, and idle persons of all de- scriptions, spend ijieir leisure time, in discussing the subject of the day. Here, whole hours are spent every day in the year;, and, in fine weather, in the early part of the week, the place bears great resemblance, except being vacated at the hours of meals, to the Everlasfing Club. Saint Monday is an invariably idle day with weavers and labourers, in general, who are not bound by positive engagements; as is the day after every fair, feast,- club-meeting, ^or dog-hanging, throughout the whole county. With your dashing men of spirit, who have a proper Contempt for their families, and every thing good and sacred, three or four days after any of these public cessations of labour will hardly suflice ; and even then they must be hunted dowiv to labour by absolute necessity: " Want, •worldly ivanty is at their heels, and chases them in tieic!" To the ale-house and^ these idle haunts, the writer of this is most happy that he has it not in his power to add a spfrit of gaming of any kind. -Not a skittle-gi'ound is in the place. No taste for lotteries prevails; and a pack of cards is scarcely ever to be seen but for about a few weeks after Christnms. 7. The Sabbath-day is spent, the writer of this would most , charitably tiope, the most profanely at this place of any other in his Majesty's dominions. To this profanation many things conduce. Formerly, the place was full of colliers. Many of the natives go into the anny and nttvy. The Knights of th«* VARWICKSIIIIIE STAtlON. 435 Black Rock are not, generally speaking, the most pious anjl devout persons in the world ; and the transplantation of black faces into red coats and blue jacket^ has not yet been found a very prolific mode of cultivating church-going fruits, nor some other Christian graces and virtues. Again, cotton. being en- grafted upon the old stock, and being both combustibles, no change for the better has yet taken place. Thus, in all the gradations of coal, gunpowder, and cotton, the observance of the Sabbath, and every thing respecting real genuine religion, reinain exactly in statu quo. Coal-devotion hath certainly not bpen accended by the flashes of naval and military intonation; nor hath the combustible matter of gunpowder and cotton beetl able to warm the hearts or enlighten the paths of the in- habitants, in general, with the rays of religious felicity. But there may be great and glorious exceptions amongst us in both the blue and scarlet. 8. That there are, ih the mass of persons employed in these manufactories^ several individuals, who are justly celebrated for integrity and confidence is, I repeat, a just tribute to their character, which it is truly pleasing to pay. But that the general herd are eve>y way undeserving of it is a melancholy truth: of whom, it may be justly asserted, that the opportu- nities of fraud and peculation, which, in undertakings of this kind, are necessarily so great and so numerous, are by no means thrown away upon them. 9. INIuch cannot be said of the habits of cleanliness, either in their houses, clothes, or persons. A striking contrast is here manifest between them and the Yorkshire peasantry, who, in rags, are always clean and decent, and those rags generally well patched together. The manners and other habits, also, of the Lancashire artificers, lose much again by the compari- son. They, however, are comfortably lodged, in good stone . or brick buildings, well slated, which, compared to some of the cottages in the south, may be called mansion-house*. Ff 2 436 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. Good chaff arftl flock, and even feather-beds, are found in th^ cottages of the labourers. They live well : water-pottage, oat bread and butter, puddings, potatoes, and shambles meat, with milk diet, constitute their chief food. Potatdes are, with all Lancashire people, in common with the Irish, a great and A'ery deserved favourite ; and, in the use of butter, they are )nost extravagant. 10. In general, they are miserable economists : some few, however, as above related, are careful, frugal, sober, and pro- vident. 11. The dread and abhorrence of the poor-house are de- servedly great ; and yet little forecast, prudence, or economj^, is manifested by them, except in the solitary instance of Bene- fit Societies, to be treated on under the sixteenth head. 12. Receiving-houses are not so pubntly and generally known as they are in Manchester, Birmingham, and London, which houses, upon a late trial, appeared to be connected to- gether. Nevertheless, sic parva cum magnis componere ! we have also our little shops to accommodate the gentlemen in the ^Tlkicxing line; and cotton, wool, yarn, and cloth, are to b» had all up and down- the county, from persons, who, it is well -known, could hardly have an opportunity of coming fairly by it. To these stolen articles is annexed a curious epithet, upon the derivation of which I shall not at present hazard a con- jecture, which is provincially termed ronze. Thus ronsse- wool, warp, weft, &c. &c. The cotton-trade is a great eneftiJrager ofyrOTt^^inaterials in all its departments ; and, as such, cannot fail in the end to sap the morals of the whole county connected with it. It has been supposed, that the plague has sometimes been imported in a bag of cotton. Wonderful stories have prevailed Upon this subject ; not a word of which did any rational intelligent per- son, upon proper inquiry, ever believe. That the cotton-trade .kas, nevertheless, introduced c plague into the county, which f f WARWICKSHIRE ^TATION, 437 some wise and good men fear will be irrcmcdifible and peren- nial, cannot be denied. Vitiated manners, depraved morals, and debauched principles, are to a nation a scourge, and a curse tremendous; and whether the plague be introduced in a bag of cotton, or whether it be produced by the mode of ma- nufacturing that cotton, as injuring tlje health, or, what is' far worse, corrupting the manners and the morals of the people, it is surely an object worthy the serious inquiry and investigation of the legislature. That the cotton-trade is abundantly pro- ductive * to the revenue cannot be doubted : as such, ^it is ex- tremely useful in helping to defray the immense expenditure upon the numerous fleets and armies, and the extensive settle- ments of Great Batain. But, if the most precious of metals * The state of the raw materials, and the progressive and astonishing in- crease of this n^anufacture, will, in some measure, be explained by what follows: Cotton-wool ^_^ Supposed used in the "^^ Value when Manufac- manufac- ture, tured. 1781 tt>. 5,101,920 ,£'2,000,000 1782 11,206,810 3,900,000 1783 9,546,179 3,200,000 1784 11,280,338 3,950,000 1785 17,992,888 6,000,000 1786 19,151,867 6,500,000 1787 22,600,000 7,500,000 One of the first hianufacturers, in Lancasliire, insists, that the annual ' return of the county will amount to upwards of mie hundred millions. This is a good round sum, and, in calculation, saves a world of trouble, with fractions. He oflFered,^ to a large and respectable company, to venture any yrages upon it ; it was, however, agreed, " to fail short of the mark." I am i^ot much addicted to laying wages, or holding the stakes ; upon this oc- casion, howcveir, I should have been glad to promote this English mode of ascertaining : as an able, jiist, and tr«e decider of the wager must neces- sarily, from the evidence before hiui, have been competent, above alj| ♦tbers, to answer ihe Gleaner's queries, 438 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAN'INGS, may be overvalued, surely the present pecuniary advantages resulting from any branch of commerce, niay be also over-: rated ; and, if there be any truth in the above assertions, we make but a most miserable exchange. That this description, liowever, wear not the face of declamation, it is necessary il should assume some semblance, at least, of argument. The three principal gradations of the cotton-trade are tho factory, or spinning ^nd winding mill, the manufactory, and the printing-shop : of each of thesp in their order. From the very nature of such a property, the proprietor of jennies, mules, and wjnding-engincg, n^ust necessarily be sub- ject to constant peculations : pot to mention the frequent de- predationSj which, in comn^on with all large, populous, and exposed concerns, must be experienced. The cops in this trade are the yarn wound round the spindles, which, fur the purpose pf winding and warping, are drawn off the spindle whole, and packed up for carriage in large hampers, termed skeps, lined and covered at top with canvass. These cops are very conve- nient to put in the pocket, or stop down the stays of the cotton- ^venches, >vhp are not so dull or stupid as not to find out their portable accommodation. The consequence is, that, though we have not your grand receptacles of Birmingham, Manches- ter, and London, we have, nevertheless, in all parts, very snug, convenient little chandlers' shops, wherp a cop will, at &ny time, fetch a certain value in tobacco, snuff, tea, or other iMJcessarjes of human life. These ronze-cops are then accumu- lated by the kind and accommofdating shop-keeper, who, ha- ving done a friendly good turn, by purchasing the superfluities of those who have ^enough and to spare, is disposed to do an act of neighbourly kindness to others, by selling, upon fair and honest terms, what they stand in need of. Thus, little dealers, who have too much good sense to be delicate, nice, or queasy, are enabled to manufacture pieces and to take for sale to the ' W^AR'WICKSHIRE STATIGK. 439 Manchester or Blackburn market, to the printer, or to the great manufacturer, who is a man of ready rhino to small manufacturers, and a man of amazingly long-winded credit to v)iose office of secretary is as well-known as the other. Being called out, Billy Block announces his business, abeste prqfaceif and, being properly interrogated respecting certain points, which none but the initiated know, especially whether he has ever at any time been guilty of that tremendous and never-to-be- forgiven sin, knobstickism. If he can give satisfactory answers, ibe is then recommended to the master, as having sufficient of WARWICKSHIRE STATION". 445 the bravado about him to rise and resist when necessary, and, consequently, as being a proper person to be employed. The master must submit, and cannot take in a fresh hand, however he may need, without this. approbation and recom- mendation. But more apprentices mat/ be taken! true; but the master's independence is by no means better secured. A very respect^ able friend of the writer of this had upwards of fifty that " absconded upon the printers striking. They durst not return, though some of them wished it. They were long advertised in the public prints, without effect ; and, being supported by the fund, for disobedience and refractoriness, were, ut last, no doubt, properly recommended to the printers in Ireland, or in some remote part of Great Britain. The apprentices being early initiated, made members of the club, and having the fear and detestation of knobsticks before their eyes, are as littloto be depended upon as their sage directors, the printers. IIow such a business can be carried on withoOx an appeal to the legislature is unaccountable ; and yet, as we have seen, provident persons in this trade grow speedily and excessively opulent. In short,- though the cotton-trade be a kind of in- verting topsy-turvy sort of business, yet, to be in any respect- able department of it, is to be in the high road to wealth. Under the proper inquiry, regulation, and control of the le- gislature, and what is not to be expected from such a happi- ly commingled legislature as ours, it might be rendered a real national benefit and public blessing. In its present uncon- trolled and ill-regulated state it will prove a bane and a curse. Children yet unborn may rue the day when cotton was im- ported into England ; and, without a speedi/ alteration, the effects will be inevitable and irremediable. Persons growing rich by the trade have some degree of right, if they choose it, to take the evils along with them ; but it is- 444 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. hard that persons who have no interest, no advantage, in if, should suffer by it. And yet all the vicinage partake, in some degree, in the refractory, predatory effects of the cotton- trade: servants, labourers, workmen of all kinds, arc dif- ficult to procure ; still more difficult to retain, at once dis- satisfied, insolent, and refractory. A drunken idle fellow, in the neighbourhood, having dissipated all his substance, be- thought him, as a dernier resort, of the following expedient: He stuck up hand-bills, announcing that he had a most curi- ous natural phenomenon to exhibit ; — a horse with the head Avhere the tail should be, and the tail where the head should be. The bait took ; all the town, grave and gay, came to see the monster. Each, for fear of being laughed at, kept his own counsel, till the rest became as wise as himself. The horse was merely a common horse, with the tail placed to- Vrards the manger, and the head towards the gangway of the stable. And the story is introduced merely to shew how ap- posite the advertisement was to the present times ; — the head where the tail should be, and the tail where the head should be! As the above account may tend to convey some idea of the •writer being an alarmist, or a jealous, envious, splenetic, or malicious observer of the wealth and happiness of his neigh- bours, permit him, as a regard to truth is his sole object in this disquisition, to state the following apologetic account of him- self. If the trade has introduced evils and inconveniences, it has, also, as well individually as nationally, produced some advantages. Every person whose income proceeds from land will find an advantage from the cotton-trade's pros- perity and population. The writer, amongst others, fcek and enjoys this; and so far from entertaining any splenetic, invidious, or malignant heart-burnings against the trade itself, .or any of the individuals following it, he sii^cerely wishes it WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 445 and them, according to his corrected plan, evdry, species of success, prosperity, and felicity. As to many individuals in the different departments of the trade, I esteem it an honour and a happiness to bear and de- serve the reputation of an intimate acquaintance, and a par- ticular friend ; and, in despite of what is said of predatory practices, and deterioration of manners, it is'a duty I owe to myself, to them, and to the public, to acknowledge that there are amongst them men who would be an honour to any con- dition, to any age, or to any county. 13. The common pot-houses are now more than ever fre- quented, owing to the briskness of trade, and the fullness of employment ; and some severe examples will be necessary to make at the next Brewster session. 14. Of this afterwards. 15. Great numbers of artisans have voluntarily returned to their former employments since the peace; and numbers of others are now soliciting their discharge, yrhich, at present, is, owing to particular circumstances, not granted. \6. Benefit-societies are in great estimation here, amongst the lower orders. Amongst the rest we have a female club; but no particular manufacture-institutions take place, if we except the combination-clubs of the printers, related in the twelfth answer. They are much encouraged, and deservedly, by the higher orders and the middle ranks. 17. The general term of apprenticeship is for seven years. There are fe>yer apprentices now than ever, if we except the printers, who allow wages for support during the term, by an increasing ratio. Scarcely any town-apprentices. The reason is obvious; children can be employed at so early an age that they maintain themselves; and many labouring persons, by their own efforts and their family's, have a clear income of upwards of two hundred a year. One misfortune of apprenticeship, which 44S SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. the legislature ought to be made acquainted with is, printers^ having a great number, quarter them, not where they live, but in the next town, where, of course, they will gain their set- tlement. This is another sore evil to be charged to the account of the cotton-trade's black list, and which must sometime be severely felt by this and otber towns. Ult. As consiliatory measures here have long been tried in ■vain, it is a melancholy truth, that coersive steps must necessa- rily be resorted to. A new Sunday Act is severely wanted. The pecuniary penalty is so small, and bears so little propor- tion to the depreciated value of money, that common artisans pay it and laugh at the constables, who ought to have a re- compense for their trouble of going many miles to a justice^ and loosing a day's labour. If the mulct be meant as a deter- tent punishment, it certainly is not so, as it now. stands in our statute-book. The same valuable correspondent, on a re-exSmination of his subject, in a letter of later date, April 28th, 1804, says: My opinion of the increased and increasing depravrty of the lower orders in this opulent, populous, and commercial county, hath suffered no diminution; especially respecting those con- cerned in the different departments of the cotton-trade : but, on the contrary, is much con-obo rated by daily expericncp and observation ; and I cannot but think, that yourself will be much confirmed in your opinion of the veracity of my for- mer statements, from the late " Petition from the journeymen cotton-printers to the House of Commons;" which, from its impresidented audacity, was, very much to the credit of the master printers, who rank in the highest order of commercial celebrity, as opulent merchant adventurers, deemed unworthy of their attention or opposition ; and, very much to the honour of the wisdom and discrimination of the highest and n\ost ho- WARWICKSUiR£ STATION. 447 hoUrable Senate in the universe, was indignantly kicked out of "the house. One of the great evils, in this part of the county, comfdained of by all thtniorc decent, orderly, and respectable inhabitants^ is the profanation and wanton prostitution of the Sabbath. The day of cessation from labour is thus made a general curse; the dread of the former and the decent orderly citizen, and a de- Juge of every species of dishonesty, vice, and wickedness. I could wish what I am now treating upon might be considered, not as proceeding from Vesprit du corps, but as the general opi- nion of all orders and ranks of thinking beings. For, if the trampled Sabbath serve merely the pnrposes, as a parent crime, of producing or serving as an inlet to all other crimes and vices whatsoever, in a ten thousand fold ratio to those of any other day in the week, it would have been far better for the gene- rolifi/ of the xvorld that no such day had ever been appointed. This increasing and confirmed depravity, in our county es- pecially, loudly and impressively invokes ^e interference of the wisdom and attention of parlifUnent. And I do not know a more Hkely way to bring about this event, so devoutly to be wished, by serious Christians of all denominations, and by all the friends of decency and social order, than by its being no- ticed in some of the productions of the Gleaner. What I would recommend to the legislature upon this subject, could my still small voicPLEMENTARY GLEANIJTGS. Jive shillings, to an opulent tradesman, for following his usual calling on the Sabbath ? or to an artisan, who can earn his tvvd or three guineas a week, for drunkenness on that day ? Of what avail is the infliction of a penalty oi three shillings and four- fence, for intoxicating himself in the time of divine service ? or for the exeroising of sports, pastimes, and vnlaufid games on the Sabbath ? And trifling, pitifully trifling as these mulcts noib are, yet, when a hardened villain chooses to set all laws upon this subject, both human and divine, at defiance, what hath the legislature provided as the dernier resort f why, if he will not pay, he shall be committed to durance, namely, that of the stocks, for three haurs. A set of dissolute, profligate, and abandonied young men had been taken up by the church-war- dens, and carried before a magistrate, on a general charge of sabbath-breaking, and a specific one of playing at unlawful , games on the Sunday. The offence was proved, the parties convicted, and the fine ordered to be levied ; but, insignificant as it was, byway of bravado, in despite of the laws, and in con- tempt of their quiet, orderly, and decent fellow-citizens, the oft'enders, about twelve in number, not deterred by the stigma of infamy, instead of paying what any of them could very readily afford, and re-earn in a few hours, chose to sit in the stocks, to the annoyance of travellers, to the abuse of the church-wardens, constables, and others, and to the venting of their scurrility upon all the most decent and respectable inha- bitants. A fine, then, proportionate to the present depreciation of Inoney, ought to be inflicted. I suppose half a guinea now would not purchase the same comforts and necessaries of life that three and four-pence would have done, when first institu- ted ! and the house of correction, and public flagellation would -be a much better alternative than the stocks. Again, how is a decent orderly man, who happens to be constable, to be remu- nerated for all his trouble, expense, and loss of time .'' First, WARAVlCKSHIRE STATION. 449 he hns to travel, as the case may be, several miles for a sum- mons; second, he has to attend, upon the day appointed, again before the justice, where the culprits do not condescend to attend; third, he goes again for a warrant of conviction; fourth, the offenders do not choose to pay, and he wags on again the same round to get another, for their commitment ; fifth, he inflicts the mighty sentence of the laws, amidst all the most scurrilous abuse of the delinquents, the hooting of the populace, and the cruel taunts and gibes of incensed relatives and friends; and then, lastly, he is to stay upon the spot, during the whole time, which made the constable in question say, the justice might as well have committed him also to the stocks ! These, Mr. Gleaner, are the sentiments of one who delights in mercy, and not m the infliction of punishment: but severe personal infliction is sometimes the greatest mer- cy to mankind. The towh of Manchester, like that of Birmingham, demands a separate consideration ; and, from the voluminous documents respecting the former, I shall select the subsequent remarks, for which I am indebted to a gentleman resident in that town, well known for his probity, sagacity, and public zeal. I am con- cerned to add, that his observations will be found but too si- milar, in almost every article, to those of my correspondents from other parts of the county. Manchester is supposed to contain nearly 90,000 inhabitants : — it is certain that its population has increased greatly since the peace ; and when the late survey was taken, by order of go- vernment, Manchester and Salford, (which are divided only by the river Irwell,) was reckoned at 84,000 souls. As a great majority of the women and of the children (above six years old) are employed in some trade, I think it may be said, that seven- yOL. I. G g 456 SUPI'LEMENTARt GLi:ANIJfGS. tenths of the inhabitants arc working-people. I imagine thr.t the number of persons employed in thfs town never was so great ias at this time. Since the spinning Mas become so prodigious a concern, the influx of labourers from Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, is considerable every week. Already we have sixty- four cotton-mills, exclusive of such as employ less than one hundred people ; and many mor^ large ones are erecting, and will be erected in the course of this year, 1 803-4. Of manners and morals I can say little that is pleasant. Since the introduction of cofton-mills the manners and morals of the artisans have become more and more loose and indeco- rous. Great numbers of men, women, and children, being daily associated, in our manufactories, as in those of Birming- ham, they lose all sense of delicacy — their eorrversation' is in- decent, and their msnncrs^ disgusting: — even the children, when passing in groupes along the streets, shock the delicate ear with singing aloud the most obscene ballads; and, wherever j'^ou meet a number of cotton-girls, you are to expect being ac- costed in the most ribald and indecent language. I consider our cotton-mills as seminaries of vice — that they are destruc- tive of the health and morals of those employed in them^ and, therefore, independently of the injury which I fear they will do to this kingdom, by supplying the Continent with materials for manufacturing those goods with which we have hitherto fur- nished them, and, consequently, by diminishing or annihilating our own manufactnres, they are a great evil. It has beea said, that it matters not in v. hat way we draw money frora other nations, so long as the balance preponderates in our fa- vour: — I do not think so. ISo manufactory whatever did ever produce so deplorable and so rapid ^a change in the morals of the people as the spinning of cotton has done- This alone is a serious objection to our exchanging the manufacturing of goods for spinning — but I- see other reasons for dissenting from the ex- change. It has a strong tendency to destroy that pleasing and WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 451 Siilutary gradation which exists in this and in most manufac- turing places, among the manufacturers themselves. One spinner of large fortune may employ an infinite number, say five hundred or a thousand workmen, with the aid of a few clerks and overlookers. — Here, then, is one overgrown noble and his vassals. How difl'ercnt in the manufactures — jiere we have many links in the chain. The great capitalist or mer- chant- — the little manufacturers around them, in every village, who employ from twenty to a hundred weavers, and bring their goods weekly to our market for sale — these goods must be bleached, sized, cut, dyed, printed, dressed, and made up, according to the nature of the article ; consequently, there is a respectable master, who has his clerks and head-servants in all these departments. Thus, Sir, you will observe, that, by the exchanging our manufactures for tfur twist and weft, we should lose this valuable class of men. Being no ways interested in this question, however erroni- ously I judge, I have no sinister motive ^ my decision. — Probably you may see this matter in a different light : but my opinion deserves consideration, and I submit it. Another objection is, that the art of spinning being easily learned, and affording great wages, the mills offer an asylum to all domestic servants, however ill they behave; and such an effect has it had on that class of inhabitants, that they are difficult to be gotten, require great wages, are indolent, and impatient of correction or restraint: — this evil is severely felt and loudly complained of. At present, the owners of cotton-mills make great gains, and the servants great wages, which enables them (the workmen) to indulge in habits highly prejudicial to their health and mo- rals. The mills being very warm and crowded, by conse- quence, those employed in them must be enervated, and little fitted for laborious work without doors, much less to bear the fatigues of a campaign ; yet, assuredly, the army receives the Gg 2 452 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. greatest number of recruits^ in war time, from the com^mer- cial counties. The evil complained of has stolen upon its gradually till tlie capital employed in it deters its oponents from amking a seriou» opposition to it. — Despairing of the application of any powerful remedy, the greatest manufacturers and exporters of goods have availed themselves of their superior connections, and export great quantities of twist. I cannot but think. Sir,, a reform in these matters would be for the public good, and therefore fit subjects for the notice and animadversion of the Gleaner. The comforts of our artisans certainly bear no proportiori to what might be expected from the profits of their labour. Your question, as to the disposal of their hours of leisure, is answered with some pain ; those hours being passed in the pot-bouses, where they expend, on Saturday, Sunday, Mon- day, and perhaps on Tuesday, every farthing which is not required for absolute necessaries. Many will drink three days a week ; and sorry I am to observe, that the women, botif married and single, frequent the ale-houses nearly as much as the men. It must be confessed, that the police in this town is very- vigilant over pot-houses, and certain punishment awaits thoise publicans who allow tippling in their houses during divine ser- vice ; yet few of them are destitute of ccsnpany morning and evening. Our churches of the established religion, which goes to your question, with regard to the Sabbath, are thinly attended by the poorer classes of people. — Perhaps pride, not ha- ving seats appropriated for them, may have its share in pro- ducing this lukewarmness for public worship. ■ Respecting your inquiry as to the integnty of the manufac- turing artisans, I cannot speak decisively, having no opportu- nity of watching over them. Generally speaking, I would say they are honest, as few large towns are so free from robbery or kouse-breaking as this. Certainly, frequent, indeed, daily, in- WARWICKSHIRE STATION* 453 stances occur of the weaver and winder embezzling their mas- ter's property, which has been committed to their custody at their own houses. Machines are now invented and in general "-use for winding, whereby labour is greatly diminished ; and, as they are used in the warehouses, under the eye of the masters, no opportunity for fraud is afforded. Large buildings have been lately erected for putting up looms ; and here the master, with the aid of a few skillful teachers, will have his goods wo- ven at a much less expense than formerly, by apprentices — his property will be secured, and the combinations for excessive wages among the weavers will be checked. In regard to their habits of cleanliness, food, &c. they are in their persons as cleanly as the naturcof their habitations will ad- mit. Muslins and calicoes afford the women a. smart dress at an easy expense — the girls have their gowns made fashionable — in every article of dress they ape thei r betters. Perhaps there is not a place in the kingdom where so many people lodge in one house fis in Manchester, and, consequently, none so uncomfort- able. Many a cellar is occupied by tvv It will serve as a relief to the foregoing accotints, and en- liven the deep shades in the manufactural picture, to receive an abridgement of my intelligence from Liverpool and Shef- ^eld. Tl)ey are both derived from the i»ost liberal and un- polluted sources. LIVERPOOL. ** Our work -house/' says my Liverpool correspondent, ** is a large and, upon the whole, commodious building ; it contains a great number of people of all ages. The provisions are good, and, in general, they enjoy more comforts than the lowest class of the labouring poor in the town. They have scarcely any employ- ment, and, as may be expected, their morals are but indif- ferent. " In the middle of April, 1801, the numiser in the work- house was 1377 ; in June, 1801, 1268; on the 22d of June, 1802, 8.57. This, I believe, is somewhat below the average of the last few months. " There are in Liverpool several Sunday-schools, chiefly, I believe, among the methodists. 9vc>» Among the poor of Liverpool are a number of Welsh and ■Irish, whose habits are generally dirty. A large proportion o( the poor live in cellars, which are very close, and unfavour- able to health. The town is, for the most part, crowded. The provisions are, upon the whole, better than in many large towns"; potatoes and fish are generally in tolerable plenty. f Theie are many sick-clubs in the town, but I conceive that a large proportion of the poor, when sick or old, derive assisti ftnce from the parish. The number of public charities in the 456 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. town are very considerable, and they are conducted on an ex- tensive scale. We have an Infirmary ; Dispensary; Blue-Coat Hospital, for the education and support of poor children ; In- stitution for the Indigent Blind; Lying-in Charity; Marine ^So- ciety, for the benefit of the wiiows and families of sailors ; Stranger's Friend Society, for Relieving poor families not be- longing to the parish." siiErriELD. " From 10 to 1 j,000 artisans at present enrich our manufac- tories; indeed, they were never more flourishing. Their mo- rals are comparatively good, owing probably to their means or ♦'ages being moderate. Their comforts follow the same rule ; for, had their usages been more or less, their comforts would have decreased. " They are also comparatively literate, and spend their leisure time in reading, or in their gardens, or other innocent recre-» ations. " They pass their Sabbath in frequenting meeting-houses chiefly, and in religious assemblings at private houses, accord- ing to their tenets, but all with decent devotion, and in their gardens, walking, &c. " They are remarkably clean, well lodged, and fed. "They save as much, or rather dispose of their money, as frugally as any persons in their situation, " There are no rcceiving-kovses here, except pawnbrokers shops can be so called ; but what their proportion may be to those at Birmingham is uncertain, " The pot-houses are not, by any means, so much frequented here, owing, no doubt, to their means or wages being less. ** Great numbers of artisans at Sheffield have returned. . " There are not less than forty-three benefit clubs or socie- ties, which make Sheffield a happier and more independent town than any, perhaps, in the universe ; and which saves th§ WAHWICKSHIRE STATION. 457 poor rates from about 1500/. to 2000/. annually; besides a great number of what are called shop-clubs, which are probably similar to the Soho institution." In resuming my Warwickshire Station, on topics congenial to this subject, and sup- plementary to what my highly-appropriate correspondent has said on the charities of Birmingham, I should feel it a violation of duty to resist the additional claims which . some other establishments have to notice. I was particularly delighted here with the School of Industry under female mspection. This seminary was instituted ki 1796, and, prior to its establishment, several meetings of the benefactors took place, in order to consult on the best means of carrying their laudable plan into effect. The result of their consulta- tions is stated in the following remarks : — It is generally admitted, by those who have attend- ed to the situation of the labouring orders, and particularly in manufacturing towns, that their domestic distresses arise rather from inca- pacity or indiscretion in the management of what they have than from a want of means for acquiring a comfortable subsistence. A prin- cipal cause of this evil is found to lie in the t. 45^ SUPPLEMENTARY OLEANIXGS. neglected education of the females^ on whose skill and exertion either the good or bad ma- nagement of families must in every situation materially depend. How to devise a plan that would at all reach or correct this evil has been the difficulty. To relieve their occasional suf- ferings, by pecuniary aid, does not go to the root of the mischief; for, though it be a relief, which every benevolent heart will delight to atlminister, it is, in general, but a superficial and tei^porary remedy: ignorance or mismai- nagement will soon plunge them again into the same or even greater calamities. It occurred, therefore, to the original promoters of this charity, that something should be attempted, on a small scale, for supplying this lamentable defect in the education of poor girls ; and that if a plan oi instruction were formed, that would embrace beading, the most necessary branches of HOUSEWIFERY, and, above all, the first PRINCIPLES of the Christian religion, it would give them a competent knowledge of their duty, in the stations they might herC' after be called to fill, and would furnish them also with the best piotives for the conscientious discharge of it. Such was the origin of " The Plan of a School of Industry under Female Inspection." What they theu offered to their neighbour? WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 459 as an experivient, they can now confidently re-, commend as having thus far answered tlieir most sanguine expectations. The girls are taught to read, in order to facili- tate their improvement in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. On this branch of their education a principal stress is laid, because it is the will of God that the poor should be so instructed; and that, without a scriptural know- ledge of the principles of Christianity, the du- ties they owe to God and their neighbour can neither be understood nor practised. They are taught to serv^ knit, and repair their own clothes: and an opportunity is also provided for their acquiring a knowledge of the most necessary branches of hoitseholdcwoj^k, that^ when they go out as servants, or are called upon to act for themselves, they may be quali- fied to perform those domestic duties ; of which, from their present employments in the shops, they are, in general, ignorant ; and on which the econon)y, credit, and comfort of famihes so essentially depend. The day schools are intended to embrace the younger class of girls, and as many of the eider as can be received ; but, because the elder are generally employed in our differ- ent manufactories during the day, the even- ing schools are opened for their acpouimoda- 460 SUPPLEMENTARr GLEANINGS. tion. It need hardly be added, that, with each class, every attention is paid to the duties of cleanhness, decorum in dress, modesty of de- portment, and that general propriety of beha- viour, suited to their present circumstances and future prospects in life.* * This amiable institution is conducted on the following niles : 1. 'The number of children in each school shall not be less ^an sixty, that is, thirty in the day, and thirty in the even- ing. 2. This charity js supported by subscriptions, of not le^s than \0s. per annum, to be collected half yearly. 3. A general meeting of the subscribers shall be held an- nually in the month of January ; at this meeting all laws for the government of this charity shall be proposed, and deter- mined by a majority of the subscribers present. 4. The conduct of these schools is vested in a twofold com- mittee of ladies and gentlemen. The ladies to superintend all matters relating to the education of the girls, and the gentlemen to conduct the pecuniary concerns. 5. The committee shall consist of sixteen ladies and eight gentlemen, to be chosen by ballot at the general annual meet- ing of the subscribers. Any lady or gentleman, so chosen, dying, or declining to act, the vacancy to be filled up by a subscriber chosen by the committee. 6. Each subscriber of 105. is entitled to recommend one scholar ; and the whole number of subscriptions being divided equally into day and evening recommendations, the light of each subscriber, as to the time of sending his scholar, to be determined by drawing. "WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 461 The Sunday- schools in Birmingham are nu- merous and well-managed. In these useful in- 7. Every subscriber who has an object to recommend shall signify her name, age, and place of abode, to the la- dies fommittee, in writing, who meet at School No. 1. the last Friday in every month, at eleven o'clock in the morn- ing 8. No child shall be admitted to the day school under seven years of age, nor to the evening school under ten. 9. If any chil this work he very truljf observes, much of the manner of that age may be learned froni these Progresses. They give us a view into the inlonor of the noble families, display their state in house-keejnng and other articles, and set before our aays their magnificent man- sions, long since gone to decay, or supplanted by others of the succeeding age. Houses that lodged the Queen of England and her court, all now scarcely fit for farms, or levelled with the ground. Such were the seats of the Compton family, at JNIockings ; of the Sadliers, at Standen ; of the great Burleigh, at l^heqbalds; of the Earl of Leicester, at Kenilworth, &c. Elizabeth's capital visit to that place was in 1575, when Leicester exerled his whole magnificence ^ in a manner so splendid," says Bishop Hurd, " as to claim a remembrance even in the annals of our country." 'Ibe account of it, which Mr. Nichols hsiS gleaned, to us a term I have myself long appro- priated in the first volume of the work ; and the author of the Keliques of Antient English Poetry justly observes, " The splendour and magnificence of Elizabeth's reign is no where more strongly painted than in these little diaries of summer excursions to the hoiises of her nobility; nor could a more acceptable present be given to the world than a republication f>{ a select number of such details as this of the entertainment at Elvetham, that at Killingworth, &c. &c. which so strongly mark the spirit of the times, and present us with scenes so very femote from modern mannei-s," * Edward II. — The unfortunate Edward, being deposed bys ^i$ queen^ was by her kept close prisoner, and afterwards re- 506 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. the palace of the favourite * of one of our most ibrtunate queens. f The sHghtest recollection of the royal per- sonage last alluded to, assuredly one of the brightest, greatest, and meanest of her sex, conjures up all her wisdom, prudence, and po- licy, as a sovereign ; with all her folly, vanity, and cold malignance of jealous cruelty, as a wo- man. You will seem to be one of the specta- tors of the seventeen days of revelry and gran- deur, during which Leicester entertained her. The wisdom of some of her ministers, and the wickedness of others, and of all those whom she loved to their preferment, or to their destruc- tion, with the halpless E?sex at their head ; and even the envy- raised scaffold of her too beautiful rival, the ill-fated Queen of Scots, whose su- perior graces were the traitors that rebelled against the conscious and comparative de- formity of Elizabeth, will all be fresh before you. They rise at your command ; nay, the ruins of the castle would seem to leap, as if by magic, into their pristine form, and you would moved, in the night, by his brutal keepers, Sir John Maltravers and Sir Thomas Berkley; and in an open field, between this place and Warwick, set on the bare ground, and shaved with dirty water out of a neighbouring ditch. He was shortly after cruelly murdered, at Berkley-castle. ' * Earl of Leicester. f Elizabeth, - WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 507 behold it in the meridian of - its pomp and prosperity. In Hke manner, you would take a retrospec- tive view of tlie noble castle under our more immediate consideration ; but not being able to find any satisfactory record either for your curiosity or benevolence to fasten upon, ga- thered from antient time, you would in vain apply to me, who could only join your regret that history had, in this instance, refused her usual assistance, there being hitherto no au- thentic account, either in pYint or manuscript, to preserve the memory of the early circum- stances which have attended this important object of national beauty and grandeur. But I have communicated the^ regrets to a friend, whose varied powers of local descrip- tion have already been laid before you ; and I flatter myself that his love of justice, co-ope- rating with his veneration for the place, and esteem for the noble proprietor, will do all that can be done to atone for the neglects, which, for so many ages, have been shewn to War- wick-castle. Do not, however, suppose, that I can now stop to attempt a picture of this attractive object, its gardens, or its ample domains. I must chiefly confine myself to other features of the portrait. At the very gate of the castle, SOS SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAKING8. which we have just passed, I must lead you far from the captivating edifice — its time-disco- Joured sides — its stately towers — its aspiring heighls— its venerable aspect — the awful and religious gloom of its windows — and the rich shades of every kind of verdure with which it is surrounded, even to a prodigality of vege^ tation, from the dark ivy to the lightest and tenderest green. 1 must, with a hand of seeming cruelty, tear you from all these, and, likewise, from fruits and blossoms of all hues ; I must beguile you from innumerable charms of nature without, and from a no less abun^- dant assemblage of the embellishments of art within. Yes, my friend, I must steal you from these, just as they are opening upon you, that I may give your heart a banquet, on which jt will luxuriate with no less appetency than if I were to pay appropriate homage to every de^ coration of the arts, as they stand arranged by the hand of Taste in the mansion, or as disr played by the hand of Taste improving ]Ssl- ture in the domain. I pray you, at present, to accompany me to a small unobserved village, about two miles distant from the park, called Tachr brook. There, on a spot of earth, where, some few years behind, the land was rude and the people savage; let me summon your WARWICKSHIRE STATION". St)9 attention to the benevolently-designed, and alread}", in part, benevolently-executed plans of industry, accommodation, character, and, comfort of some hundreds of human beings^' redeemed from the deepest distress of body and mind, and in the way of being restored to their rank in the community, and, to what is no less important, to that of their own seif-revere?ice. You will here observe the power* I had before described, of one boun- tiful hand, directed by one benignant heart, to rear from the dust of the earth, and al- most to re-create, the lowly beings that occu- py the spot which Providence has bestowed on a favoured individual. You will perceive the project of loving-kindness going jon progres- sively, under the auspices of the Lord of the castle, who has already exhibited testimonies of an active mind, and tender heart, in favour of the most useful, and, in some respects, still most-neglected part of human society. I wish to conduct you, in fancy, to the repositories of comfort which I have recently seen ; I would impress your mind's eye with the well-planned and well-appointed cottages I have myself en- tered ; I would have you to see the smile of content, and of health, on tbe cheeks where I * Norfolk Gleaning. 510. SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. have seen them ; I would have you hear the voice 6f gratitude and comfort where they have re- galed my own ears ; in a word, I would share -with you, and with all who may peruse these facts, the sentiments they have inspired in the heart of your friend. Warkick. THUS supported in my motives I hazard notiiing in leading you back to Warwick, but not, even yet, to its castle. — Once more, then, passing, though not slightly, this emi- nent object, I would conduct you to the place appointed to receive the culprits and criminals of the county — even to the common jail. I have to request you will bend your eye where it will shed a beam of pity — look, I beseech you, into one of its dark recesses, on a female, who, by a violent pressure of circumstances, was tempted to infringe on those awful laws with which the venerable bonds of society are so intimately con- nected, that they may not be violated with im- punity, even to sustain life in its sorest extremity. But, in the case alluded to, as in many others, though it was the bounden duty of Justice to condemn this culprit, it was not inconsistent "VTARWICKSHIRE STATION. 511 with that duty to heave a sigh and shed a hu- man tear, while the criminal was recommended to a softer power. Yet, as the offence was miti- gated by many alleviating circumstances, the fact was so unequivocal, that it was no easy matter for Mercy herself to gain her suit. Mer- cy, however, could not have entrusted her tender commission to better hands, nor to a better heart, than those \vhom she delegated on this occasion. Unsuccessful in a first effort, the noble supplicant* tried a second, which was fa- vourable to the afflicted object ; a pardon was yielded to her mediator, and a remission of her trespass came down just as the respite reached its last hour, and as the sacrifice was about to be made to her country. There was. still a diffi- culty : a sudden reverse of destiny, even when of the most favourable kind, has not seldom proved less fktal than the calamity it would re- move ; especially where a shameful punishment or ignominious death is suddenly changed to their contraries — liberty and life. Those who W'ere present at the receipt of the pardon, on its reaching the hand of the intercessor, can attest the delights of a good man, in having accom- plished the object of his benevolence ; and those that were not present will feel gratified from a * Earl of Warwick. 612 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. faithful description. It was the ecstacy of a gehe-* rous heart. But discretion is frequently not less' necessary than generosity, to render a bounty effective. How far theunion of goodness and wis-^ dom was manifested on this occasion let the wor^ thy clergyman,* to whom is allotted the affect- ing, but sacred office of administering the com- forts of the Gospel to those consigned to the very prison we are examining, testify. To his lips was confided the interesting task of com- municating, by due degrees, the good tidings to the offender ; as likewise of her visit to her benefactor, after her liberation. That visit exhi- bited nothing, said my reverend intelligencer, which chilled the warm effusion of the person afflicted, by the awe of the obhging person. It was not the conscious offender meeting the eye of an indignant judge, and presuming on the authority of having rescued the wretched from ignominy, and proudly triumphing over th& fallen, but it was an innocent receiving a guilty being with compassion attempering justice. The interview was brief, as such interviews ought to be. The object was not to remove obligations, by reproaches, but to use coun- cil with consolation, and to sweeten the blessings of unexpected freedom with the * The Rev. Mr. Laugherne, of Warwick. WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 513 hiearis of enjoying it. The acquitted had a long journey, to the North, to perform, after she was released from jail ; and it is very possible to regain personal liberty, yet find the world only a larger prison. To prevent this from happening, in the present case, her amiable liberator lielped her on her way, and thus she, poor woman, was literally " twice blessed." In continuation of this little gleaning for your aifections, I have the pleasure to inform you, that I understand she reached her home in safety ; that she poured forth the effusions of a grateful and contrite spirit to her preserver, in a letter from Dumfries, where that home is si- tuate ; and that she continues to pass a life of atonement ; while those who brouo-ht about the work of reformation have the comfort of knowing they have restored a sore-oppressed, though erring, creature to society and to vir- tue. Nor is this a solitary fact, gathered with difficulty; many, derived from the same be- nignant source, are on the records of the prison-house to which I have beguiled you: — one in particular, where an ingenious, but unfortunate, man was given to his family and the world, who now reap the benetit of his emancipatioh. But it is not in the prison records the authors VOL. I. L 1 514 SUPPLEMENTARr GLEANINGS. of such gracious deeds have to look for thehr recompensCr They are engraven on the heart, and on tablets yet more indelible. I need not mention to you, the everlasting volume in which they are registered. ■> Turning our steps from the common prison, the gloomy cells of which we have seen irradia- ted by one who acted the part of the ministering angel, sent on errands full of love, it is not an unlit moment to take a brief survey of places of common worship. The transition from a den of thieves to the House of God would be, in- deed, too abrupt, had not a visit to the one prepared our spirits for the other : and had we not seen that those whom even justice has con- signed to the former, may, sometimes, by the timely assistance of benevolence, be made re- novated partakers of the protection and pity of the latter. The holiness of the day, too, is adapted to such a transition. I am addressing my friend on tlje Sabbath : and I wish his mind's eye, in this sacred instance, likewise, to share with mine the impressive satisfaction which is derived from seeing one of the most beautiful and spa- cious churches in England filled with the pa- risliioners; and the children of Benevolence, of both sexes, conducted from the several public charities, by the respectable masters and govern- ■^^ARWlCKSblRE STATIOX. 515 esses to whom thcit- youth is confided. In very truth, my beloved friend, this is a goodly sight for you: it is the one in which I own I feel myself national : the one in which I must mention with pride that I am a Briton. Not that I mean to insinuate, that the country which gave me birth, thougli unquestionably more bountiful, more pitiful, more prone to help the M'eak hearted, and raise up those who fall, or keep from falling those v/ho are droop- ing, is exclusively benevolent • for I have seen compassion, generosity, and pity, active and ardent, in Various other parts of the world — and in few more zealous or more assiduous than your own, my friend : but there is a decorum, a consistency, and a comfort, whpther regard- ing mind, body, or estate, which, so far as it goes, gives pre-eminence to the public insti- tutions of England. And these characteris- tics of our benevolence are not confined to the metropolis ; neither is it peculiar to the elegant little town from whence I now address you. -— Nor must I buffer you to imbibe the popular prejudice that is gone abroad respecting the general neglect of the affluent in matters of religion : — it is by no means an uncommon thing to behold the title and fashion of the place, adding the influence of practice to pre- cept, in their attendance on public worship. L 1 2 ^1^ SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. And never can this fair truth be more fulfy illustrated than in the persons who, at the pre- sent day, inhabit Warwick- Castle. It will be another banquet for your heart to see one of the mo5t numerous, most distinguished, and most lovely domestic groupes of the island, alter- nately assist at divine service. And, on a circuit of sundry tours through Warwickshire, were a tourist himself to join in the duties of the Sabbath, he would, in general, see the nobihty and gentry in the places where they then ought to be found. But methinks I hear you exclaim that it is more than time that I should return with you to the long-neglected castle. Do you not re- member that I have resigned this gratifying task to another — and to one who has both a^ hand and heart to do it justice. Enter, however, for a moment, and, as an earnest of what you may expect, behold the groupe whom your mental eye saw engaged in the offices of public devotion, encircled round the private table. It is no indulgence of adula- tion, which I disdain — it is no idle use of the poetic figure, in details of this kind, which would here be wholly out of place, but it is simply the language of that truth which the warm heart gives to interesting facts, to say, that kindred love binds the family alluded to WARWICKSHIRE STATION. 517 in its tenderest folds. It is proverbial in Eng- land to say a man's house is his castle. — The castle of Warwick is peculiarly so ; for it is the strong hold and home of the very hearts of its owners.* It is built on a rock — a rock of de- fence from every storm, but that which Providence sees sjood to ordain. And, after all, my dear friend, although such actions as have just been recorded — although a visit to the prisoner and the mourjier ; not to the punishment, but to pity of the captive are too absolute to be doubted ; it is at our homes, whether in our cot or castle, that we can best take our measure, and make our estimate of a human being. We may gaze at him abroad ; we may conjecture the dimensions of his popu- lar character, and of his pubhc talents; but he is in his natural size, and exhibits his natural figure, only at home : -j* — and thp^e it is that the * See Verses, written at Warwick-Castle, in the Poetic Division of the Harvest-Home. t And yet the harmonic sounds of panegeric which were wont to be universal, and scarcely confined to " this side idola- try" are, of late, clianged to less plausive notes, at once dis- sonant and loud, respecting the inhabitants of the castle, yet the claims to praise are precisely the same. — This seems a paradox; in order to account for which I must once more* * Letter 21, Gleanings in Enflaad, vol. it. on vkat is called freedom of flection. 518 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. family in question are, indeed, the " happiest of the happy." Both the castle and its inhabitants give you a farther diKCvissicn of a truly curious subject, the better to illustrate, I must introduce to you a grand national Hydra, which, in England, has gained the name of Party, whose votaries are so addicted to see anr' hear the thing that is not, they can, you must know, at the pi -jjt r time, be blind, or quick-sighted, as the fouj fiend who O-is then} in dominion pleases to mislead. He can at any l .ae make the worse appear the better and the better the worse reason ; and, to use the nervous language of the poet, " the characters of Hell can trace," in ^series of pure and Heaven-directed actions. Once in every seven years, you are to know, the Hydra above mentioned holds a kind of jubilee, for several days together, durinfi; which he indulges his partisans in the privilege of breaking down all order, trampling upon decency, and vio- lating all the sober and venerable laws of society. A great and illustrious character is usuajly selected, on thii occasion, as the mark of publip obloquy. It is a sort of political lion-baiting, at which the noblest and most powerful animal is brought to the stake, and set upon by a thousand inferior creatures, whosp delight is to annoy him by every art that malice can invent. There is no offensive weapon top vjle for the purpose of a partisan, or sworn vassal of the said Hydra. Noise, intoxicar tion, falsehood, &nd filth, personified, are the agents and the in- struments, that enter into a trial of skill with each other; and he who shall display the most r-. and six out. Yet, can it be believed that, in a capital where exalted and numerous examples hourly incite to the practice of virtue, in- stitutions which immortalize their patrons, should strugglingly prolong a sickly existence; — that they should linger for the ■«'AUWICKSHIUE STATlOjf. 545 aid which the cx|)enditure on one sacrifice to satiated dissi- pation would create ! — Could it be believed that the Mid- dlesex Hospital, which, since the year 1745, has relieved 101,135 persons, 22,736 of whom had met with dreadful ac- cidents, did not receive, during the last year, within 841/. 17«. of its unavoidable expenditure? — Could it be believed that, in this emporium of all that is good as well as evil, at a period when six thomand pounds were expended upon a ball and sup- per, three pounds oneshiUing and sixpenee only was obtained by a sermon preached for the support of what might be denomi- nated one of our best institutions. If it were for us to discriminate where all are so meritori- ous, and where all under our immediate notice have been cre- ated and 'are upheld by the voluntary .offerings of policy and benevolence, THE WESTMIXSTER HOSPITAL, OR INFIUMARY, Established in i719» and from which all our subscription-in- stitutions have originated, is incompetent, from its size, as well as income, to receive a moiety of those who " (Groan for sad admitsion there." This Charity had raised from the bed of sickness, 130,840 pci-sons, previous to the 31st of December, 1797; from which time, to the 3lst of December, 1798, the numbers were as follows : — Cured, 9^8 ; discharged for irregularity, 8 ; improper objects, 2 ; out-patients not attending, and supposed cured, 1015; dead, 66 ; out-patients then on the boqks, 235 ; in the house, exclusive of those in beds reserved for accidents Jo', on the funds for incurables, 13, amounting, in the last year, to 2380 admitted, of whom 987 ti^ei'c sudden accidents, and received "without any recommeAdation. A subscriber of thirty pounds, or three guineas a year, be- 544 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEANINGS. comes a trustee, with liberty to uominate three in and six out- patients within the year ; of two guineas, to two in and four out ; and of one guinea, to two out-patients. The patients are con- stantly and carefully attended by a clergyman, and by a phy- sician. ST. geOrge's hospital, Established in 1733, relieved from that period to the 31st De- cember, 1796, 187,506 persons. The number of in-patients admitted in 1797, were, by recommendation, 832; on account of accidents, 280 ; 1274, of whom 645 were cured, l62 bene- fitted; 7 improper ; 38 irregular; 23 not likely to receive bene- fit; 138 dead ; (20 by acidents ;) 115 made cut-patients; and 146 remaining in the house ; which frequently contains 200, including the resident chaplain and apothecary, and servants. The receipts of 1797, amounted to 5013/. which exceeded the disbursements, by 200/. 8*. 5d. — but though comparatively afliuent, the means of this stupendous charity are wholly inade- quate to its great and glorious objects. A subscriber of 50 /. or of five guineas per annum, is compe- tent to be elected a governor. Waving the paltry consideration whether some, perhaps half a dozen, children should, in thrice as many years, be reared by the parish to which they should belong, or, by the fraud of overseers, (supposing that such circumstances could again exist,) be thrown upon the Foundling Asylum, and re- linquishing all further present discussion of the political or religious propriety of indiscriminate admission into Foundling Hospitals; there can be no question that policy and religion alike demand, that the patrons of these institutions, who, ac- tuated by the spirit of their Maker, seek to promote his glo- ry, by contributing to the worth and happiness of his crea- tures, should possess the means to protect all such children, as persons whom Sterne would call " outrageously virtuous," "NV^AllWICKIIIRE STATION. 545 did not purpose to exclude for offences which, by the most tortured implication, could not attach to them. In 1792, Benevolence, afflicted by the numerous human beings, who, in themidst of civilized society, were excluded from all social intercourse, left ignorant of the duties and ex- pectations of rational creatures, and who pined away their lives in silence and lamentable dejection, established, by vo- luntary subscription, an asylum for THE DEAR AND DUMB,* where thirty-two children are maintained and " taught to • " The translator of the Abb6 de I'Epee's method of educating the deaf and dumbt informs us that, in recent tinii's, this art hatti been exer- cised, in Paris, by father Vauia and Mr. Perriere; in Leipsick, by Mr. Heinich ; ic LoudoD, by Mr. Baker ; and in Edinburgh, by Mr. Braid- wood. By a contingency, snch as destines multitudes to particular studies or avocations, the Abb6 de rEp6e engaged in it. Vanin had, under his tui- tion, two young ladies, who were twin sisters, both having the misfortune of deafness and dumbness. Death soon deprived them of his lessons; and, as an instructor to suppily his place was sought for in vain, the .\bb6 de I'Ep^e undertook to continue their education. The contemplation of their condition excited his tenderness, and his tendenicss inflamed his philan- thropy towards all in the same afflicting circumstances. His mind, thus turned to the subject, was, by degrees, wholly absorbed in it; till, at last, incited by religion and humanity, he dedicated himself intirely to theic tuition. He instituted a seminary in which he received as many of the deaf and dumb aa -he could superintend, and he formed preceptors to teach those in distant parts. The number of his scholars grew to upwards of sixty ; and, as ihe fame of his operations extended, persons from Ger- many, from Switzerland, from Spain, and from Holland, came to Paris, to be initiated in the method he practised, and transfer it to several countries. The philanthropic exertions of this excellent man, in behalf of his unfortunate pupils, are particularly detailed. The greatest part of his income was appropriated to their support, and he refused pecuniary as- VOL. I. N 11 I 646 SUPPLEMENTARY GLEAXINGS. speak and read articulately; to write, cipher^ and compre- hend the principles of morality and religion; in short, whcro they are raised from the condition of mere machines tQ that of intellectual and useful members of society." The children are all deaf, and were all dumb; many of them speak per- fectly, and several have finished their education, and are fol- lowing beneficial employments. The patrons of this benignant institution purpose, with their increase of means, to establish some manufactory, by a knowledge of which the persons whom they rear may becortie more useful to themselves and to the public; but there are, at present, thirty suppliants for ad- mission, only three or four of whom can be received. A subscription of one guinea constitutes an ainmal governor, and ten guineas a governor for life. Here are, at this time, thirty-two poor children, male and female, receiving education and maintenance; they are all deaf, and Were totally dumb; — being introduced, the com- pany (among whom were many of the clergy) had auricular and ocular proof that they are now taught to speak, read, write, cipher, and comprehend the meaning and application sistance in every shape ; of which the following anecdote is too remarkable an instance to be omitted : Mon. de Bouilly relates that tlie Russian ambassador, at Paris, made the Abbe a visit, in the year 1780, and (