Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 753, June 1, 1878Various
History
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 753, June 1, 1878
Various
Periodicals
Faroni, his master, seems to have made a trade of getting Italian
boys into his clutches. Besides Bianconi, he had several others, whom
he daily turned out to the streets to sell prints in a poor kind
of frames, always making a point that they should set off on their
travels without any money, and bring home to him the proceeds of
their industry. At first, Bianconi was at a loss how to carry on his
dealings. The only English word he was made acquainted with was ‘buy,
buy;’ and when asked the price of his prints, he could only count on
his fingers the number of pence he demanded. In a short time, he
picked up other words; and gave so much satisfaction to his employer,
that he was sent off to the country every Monday morning with two
pounds worth of pictures, and a munificent allowance of fourpence in
his pocket as subsistence-money until he returned on Saturday evening.
How he contrived to live on less than a penny a day, is not mentioned.
We daresay, he often got a warm potato as well as a night’s lodging
from the kind-hearted peasantry to whom he exhibited his wares. Opening
his pack was as good as a show. He carried a variety of Scripture
pieces, pictures of the Royal family, and portraits of Bonaparte and
his distinguished generals, all which were profoundly interesting,
and found willing purchasers. On one occasion, an over-zealous
magistrate, thinking there was a treasonous purpose in selling effigies
of Bonaparte, arrested the young pedler, and kept him all night in a
guard-room without fire or bedding, and only in the morning was he
liberated, almost in a perishing condition. Every Saturday night,
Bianconi returned to Dublin to deliver the money he had gathered, and
this he did with an honesty which commanded that degree of confidence
and respect which led to his professional advancement.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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