Transcribed from the 1903 Hurst and Blackett edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org [Picture: Susannah and the elders] GOSSIP IN THE FIRST DECADE OF VICTORIA’S REIGN By John Ashton AUTHOR OF “_Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne_” ILLUSTRATED BY REPRODUCTIONS FROM CARTOONS AND OTHER DRAWINGS LONDON HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED 13, Gt. Marlborough St., W. 1903 _All rights reserved_ PRINTED BY KELLY’S DIRECTORIES LTD. LONDON AND KINGSTON. [Picture: Decorative flower] PREFACE. I have written this Gossip not only for the edification of those to whom a portion, more or less, may be news, but for those who, like myself, have lived through the whole of Queen Victoria’s reign, to whom the remembrance of things, almost forgotten, may bring pleasure and excite interest. The items, herein displayed, have been gathered from many sources, and their authenticity is guaranteed by giving the name of the authority whence they were taken, in very many instances _ipsissima verba_, as paraphrasing would rob them of their freshness and individuality. All the illustrations are contemporaneous, and, good or bad, belong to the text and should not be altered. JOHN ASHTON. [Picture: Decorative flower] CONTENTS. [Picture: Decorative flower]