John Ashton

“ Surely the female sex were as much interested in the proceedings of that House as the other, and if any portion of them were disposed to hear the debates, they ought not to refuse them. It was well known that the ladies exercised an important influence in the State, and why should it not be properly exercised? Why should the beneficial influence of a virtuous and enlightened mother (a laugh) not be exerted over her son who had a seat in Parliament? ”

“ The appointments of an English coach are no less elegant than its form. A portly looking coachman seated on a very high coach-box, well dressed, wearing white gloves, a nosegay in his button-hole, and his chin enveloped in an enormous cravat, drives four horses perfectly matched and harnessed, and as carefully groomed as when they excited admiration in the carriages of Grosvenor and Berkeley Squares. ”

“ Although I treat of a period but sixty years since, it is a time of which much is to be said which is unknown to the present generation, and one which has had a deep and lasting influence on our own times. Then began the mighty reign of steam; then was inaugurated the first passenger railway, to which small beginning England owes so much. Then, too, steam navigation began to be general, developing (p. vi) that commerce which has been the making of the country. Science woke up, as did Art, whilst the introduction of the Railway caused our manufactures to progress by leaps and bounds. ”

“ Yet mean, cruel, and atrocious as every civilized mind must consider the doctrine, that Ireland has no need of poor laws, or some equivalent for them,—hateful and abominable as is such a screen for inhumanity,—there are men, or things with human pretensions, nay, with lofty privileges, who do not blush to treat the mere proposal of establishing a fund for the relief of the diseased or helpless Irish, with brutal ridicule and almost impious scorn. ”

“ John, that the plague may be stopped!' The messenger lays each householder under an 'obligation,' as it is called, to kindle his piece of turf, set fire to seven other pieces, quench them, and run through the country to seven other houses, wherein no turf has yet been left, and to repeat the same exhortation, under a penalty of falling a victim to the cholera himself! ”

“ Would any man credit that an Irish absentee Lord could say what he is reported to have uttered in the House of Peers last night, when Lord Roseberry presented a petition, praying that a compulsory tax on land might be introduced into Ireland, towards alleviating her poor? ”

“ They then walked forward, with their staves in their hands, clearing their way through the observers who had been attracted to the spot, and pressed forward directly to the man who still continued to address the mob. The police were instantly attacked by the mob. The conflict was but of a minute's duration, and the sound of the blows, and the shrieks of the women who had obtruded themselves into danger were loud. When a clearance was effected, at least twenty men were prostrate on the ground, with blood streaming from their heads. ”

“ Architecture was practically unknown, and the only improvement that had been made for many years was the building of Regent Street. It was reserved for the Victorian era to (p. 271) redeem the apathy of the past. Hear what a foreigner, Baron d'Haussez, writing in 1833, says—
"In the more recently built parts of London there is nothing imposing but the breadth and handsome proportions of its streets; and in the City nothing but its immense population and the impress of life which commerce imparts to it. ”

“ O'Connell would be irresistible were it not for the blots on his character—the contribution in Ireland for his support, and his refusal to give satisfaction to the man he is still coward enough to attack. They may say what they will of duelling; it is the great preserver of the decencies of society. ”

“ Wherever there has been anything like fighting, the mob has always been beaten, and has shown the greatest cowardice. They do not, however, seem to have been (p. 45) actuated by a very ferocious spirit; and, considering the disorders of the times, it is remarkable that they have not been more violent and rapacious. Lord Craven, who is just of age, with three or four more young Lords, his friends, defeated and dispersed them in Hampshire. They broke into the Duke of Beaufort's house at Heythrop, but he and his sons got them out without mischief, and, afterwards, took some of them. ”

“ The wind, which previous to this time had blown from the south, at eight o'clock veered somewhat towards the west, thus throwing the flames immediately upon the House of Commons, the angle of which, abutting upon the House of Lords, caught fire; and, notwithstanding the utmost exertions of the firemen, assisted by the military, the roof ignited, and fell in with a tremendous crash, accompanied with an immense volume of flame and smoke, and emitting in every direction millions of sparks and flakes of fire. ”

“ The "New Police" worked so well, that the City, who have always had the right of keeping their own watch and ward, followed their example. We read in the Times of March 22nd—
(p. 112) "The race of street keepers, with their gold-laced coats and hats, are about to be extinguished in their last stronghold—the City. They are to be superseded by a new police force, which is to patrol the streets by day only, and which is to be paid and regulated on the model of the county police. A hundred men have been chosen and measured for their suits of blue." ”

“ The reports from Sunderland exhibit a state of human misery, and necessarily, of moral degradation, such as I hardly ever heard of, and it is no wonder, when a great part of that community is plunged into such a condition (and we may fairly suppose that there is a gradually mounting scale, with every degree of wretchedness, up to the wealth and splendour which glitter on the surface of society) , that there should be so many who are ripe for any desperate scheme of revolution. At Sunderland, they say, there are houses with 150 inmates, who are huddled five and six in a bed. ”

“ No sister shall be allowed to work, except for herself, from the first day of May to the last day of April. No sister shall plait, brush, or dress her lady's hair, or wait upon her in sickness—except for such extra remuneration as each sister shall deem it expedient to ask. No sister shall be called before ten in the morning, nor shall any sister remain in a service where she is refused a fire in her own room, an armchair, a subscription to a circulating library, the free use of her lady's clothes, and as many followers as she may like to retain. ”

“ The first thing of importance in this year was the resumption of the sittings of the Corporation Commission, which was an inquiry into the Corporation of London. This object of envy has been several times attacked, sometimes partially despoiled; always threatened, yet always vigorous, it is the red rag of the Radical bull. ”

“ The ingenious conductors of the election had thus the merit of systemizing corruption—of making the sale of consciences a counting-house affair, with the proper assortment of promissory notes or poll-tickets and bags of gold, with cashiers, examiners, and controllers of account! ”

“ Nothing particular occurred, until the Duke reached the middle of Fenchurch Street, when a man rushed forward from the crowd and, catching hold of the reins of the horse's bridle with one hand, endeavoured to dismount its rider with the other, and would have succeeded, had it not been for the spirited conduct of the Duke's groom, who came up at the time. The mob now was very great; but by the exertions of the police his Grace was escorted through it and along Cheapside without any personal injury. In Holborn, however, the mob, not satisfied with words, began to throw stones and filth. ”

“ The scions of the house of Stuart belong to Italy, and have been on a tour to the north of Scotland, visiting the places named in the romantic adventures of their ancestor, the young Ascarvius. They are good-looking young men, and bear a strong resemblance to the portraits of "Royal Charley." They speak the Italian, French, English, Gaelic, and Irish languages, and are always attired in the Highland costume of the house of Stuart, and accompanied by a piper of the clan. They have never worn any other dress than the kilt and its Highland appendages, and their seal is a crown. ”

“ Far from aiming, like the variously accomplished Duke of Orleans, at geometry, or the sublimer sciences, the humble advertiser ventures to hope that his tolerable, hourly improving fluency in French, Italian, and modern Greek (the latter language now become of increased English interest from the increase of English colonization in the Mediterranean) , would enable him to give lessons, and materially conduce to perfect pupils in each of these branches, at most moderate remuneration. That same Mediterranean has been the sad cause of this advertisement. ”

“ On Monday, as the field which had been out with the King's hounds were returning to town, they were summoned to assist in quelling a riot at Woburn, which they did; the gentlemen charged and broke the people, and took some of them; and, fortunately, some troops came up to secure the prisoners. The alarm, however, still continues, and a feverish anxiety about the future universally prevails, for no man can foresee what course events will take, nor how his own individual circumstances may be affected by them. ”

“ In an affair of great delicacy, to which we have already alluded, our wish would be, if we might be permitted, to put the public in possession of the whole truth, and then let the matter drop, for we know that protracted discussions are apt to excite resentments which did not, at first, exist. It was impossible that the absence of the Duchess of Kent, and of the Princess Victoria, her daughter, from the Coronation, should have escaped notice ”

“ The desire to breathe the fresh air, rather than economical considerations, induce even the richest English to give a preference to outside places. They only go inside when compelled by bad weather. The place most in request—one knows not wherefore—is to the left of the coachman; it is considered as the place of honour, and is reserved for fashionables, and even for lords, who do not disdain to travel thus. ”

“ The terror which was thus universally propagated went far to secure immunity to the offenders. To be connected with any attempt to execute the law against murderers, incendiaries, or robbers, was itself a high crime. To betray any activity in preserving order, was to become a marked man; to become a marked man was to be made the victim of open violence or hidden assassination.
"The parties accused of the murder of a process server and a captain of police, at the end of the preceding year, were brought to trial at the Kilkenny Assizes in March. ”

“ A general fight now ensued, in which the new police were assisted by several respectable-looking men, who used every endeavour to put the mob to the rout. In the skirmish many received broken heads, and the flag was captured. Inspector Lincoln of the E division arrived with a body of seventy men, and an equal number of the B division also came up, when the mob, seeing the reinforcement, took to flight in all directions, and the most perfect quietude succeeded. Three of the most desperate of the rioters were arrested, and carried to the watch house in the Almonry, Westminster. ”

“ A number of boys stood looking on intensely for some time, when one of them exclaimed, 'It's the House of Lords debatin' the Reform Bill.' In an instant, 'Demolish,' was the universal and simultaneous cry. Caps and bonnets were filled (p. 115) with stones. 'Now for Wellington!' 'Here's at you, Londonderry!' 'Take that, Buckingham!' 'The bishops, the bishops!' shouted a little urchin. The 'hurra' became universal, and terrible was the work of death. The above incident 'points a moral,' if it does not 'adorn a tale.'"
Anent the creation of new peers, there is an amusing skit in verse. ”

“ Mansion House, 10th Feb.—The Lord Mayor having observed a statement in the Observer newspaper relative to a female who for some time past had performed the duties of a seaman, directed an inspector of police to make inquiries into the circumstances, in order that, if the girl required assistance, it might be rendered to her, without subjecting her to annoyance. The inspector now appeared before the Lord Mayor, accompanied by the girl, the captain of the vessel in which she came to London, and several gentlemen who felt an interest in the remarkable details of the case. ”

“ At a first-rate Finishing Ladies' Seminary, Vacancies occur for a few Pupils. The system of education adopted is of the highest order, embracing superior and peculiar advantages. In addition to an extensive course of English studies, invaluable to young ladies finishing their education, they will be perfected in the French and Italian languages, music, comprising the harp, pianoforte, and singing, with a knowledge of harmony and thorough bass, drawing, dancing, and every research in science and literature to qualify them to move in the first circles. ”

“ At length, the servant of Sir Hussey Vivian coming up, the fellows made off, and Lieutenant Ross discharged his pistol after them, the ball from which passed through the window of a house opposite, but fortunately without injury to any of the inmates. It is quite time that an ample reduction of duty on foreign articles should put an end to the 'giant evil' of smuggling—nothing else can stop it; and, until it is done, the demoralization and irregular habits of the lower class will necessarily increase. ”

“ In the spring of the year, in some portions of Ireland, notably in Clare, Roscommon, Galway, and Tipperary, the law seemed no longer to exist. Murder, robbery, searching for arms, etc., were done by bodies of men who could only be met by military force, and were the ordinary occurrences of every day. The lord lieutenant made a progress through the disturbed districts, hoping thereby to restore tranquillity. He was neither insulted nor murdered, but he did no good, and matters remained as they were.
It is impossible to notice all the cases of outrage, but I will give two as being typical. ”

“ A police constable belonging to a division at the east end of the Metropolis, who has a vote for a borough not more than thirty miles from London, applied to his inspector for permission to go into the country to poll for one of the anti-reform candidates, on Saturday morning. 'What do you expect to make by going down?' inquired the inspector, from motives of curiosity. 'Only £10 and the payment of my expenses,' was the reply of the 'independent freeman.' 'Is that all?' exclaimed the inspector. ”

“ To this cause, and to the irregularity in the line of buildings, is chiefly owing the effect produced by the houses in Pall Mall, Waterloo Place, Regent Street, and Regent's Park. So much pains have been taken to reproduce the ancient style of architecture, that one might fancy one's self in an ancient Greek or Roman City; there is not a house which has not a monumental character. ”

“ Another most striking and most melancholy characteristic of the contest was not only the universality of corruption among the poorer freemen, but the height to which the tide rose among persons in better circumstances, whom, but for the levelling nature of the system and the gradual decay of the moral sense which it produces, the infamy ought not to have reached. ”

“ The club houses in Pall Mall, St. James's Street, and elsewhere, were elegantly and most appropriately illuminated, with one solitary exception—the Reform club house in Pall Mall, in front of which was exhibited the word "Victoria" in variegated lamps. Some wags doubted the propriety of this display, and, looking at the Parliamentary events of the preceding night, were sceptical as to the fitness of the word at such a moment. ”

“ At the close of the poll at Halifax, on January 14th, the yellow, or Reforming party, attacked various houses, public and private. In some, they contented themselves with breaking windows only; in others, they entered the premises, broke all the window frames, window shutters, inside and out, and other wood-work, and completely demolished every article of furniture within their reach. The mob, three hundred in number, entered the house of Mr. J. Norris, simultaneously, through the dining-room windows, library windows, and by breaking down the principal door. ”

“ In the meantime the cholera has made its appearance in London, at Rotherhithe, Limehouse, and in a ship off Greenwich. In all, seven cases. These are amongst the lowest and most wretched classes, chiefly Irish; and a more lamentable exhibition (p. 105) of human misery than that given by the medical men who called at the Council Office yesterday I never heard. They are in the most abject state of poverty, without beds to lie upon. The men live by casual labour, are employed by the hour, and often get no more than four or five hours' employment in the course of the week. ”