Industrial arts -- Biography; Inventors -- Biography
When Bianconi went into the streets of Dublin to sell his mounted
prints, he could not speak a word of English. He could only say, "Buy,
buy!" Everybody spoke to him an unknown tongue. When asked the price,
he could only indicate by his fingers the number of pence he wanted for
his goods. At length he learned a little English,--at least sufficient
"for the road;" and then he was sent into the country to sell his
merchandize. He was despatched every Monday morning with about forty
shillings' worth of stock, and ordered to return home on Saturdays, or
as much sooner as he liked, if he had sold all the pictures. The only
money his master allowed him at starting was fourpence. When Bianconi
remonstrated at the smallness of the amount, Faroni answered, "While
you have goods you have money; make haste to sell your goods!"
During his apprenticeship, Bianconi learnt much of the country through
which he travelled. He was constantly making acquaintances with new
people, and visiting new places. At Waterford he did a good trade in
small prints. Besides the Scripture pieces, he sold portraits of the
Royal Family, as well as of Bonaparte and his most distinguished
generals. "Bony" was the dread of all magistrates, especially in
Ireland. At Passage, near Waterford, Bianconi was arrested for having
sold a leaden framed picture of the famous French Emperor. He was
thrown into a cold guard-room, and spent the night there without bed,
or fire, or food. Next morning he was discharged by the magistrate,
but cautioned that he must not sell any more of such pictures.
Many things struck Bianconi in making his first journeys through
Ireland. He was astonished at the dram-drinking of the men, and the
pipe-smoking of the women. The violent faction-fights which took place
at the fairs which he frequented, were of a kind which he had never
before observed among the pacific people of North Italy. These
faction-fights were the result, partly of dram-drinking, and partly of
the fighting mania which then prevailed in Ireland. There were also
numbers of crippled and deformed beggars in every town,--quarrelling
and fighting in the streets,--rows and drinkings at wakes,--gambling,
duelling, and riotous living amongst all classes of the people,--things
which could not but strike any ordinary observer at the time, but which
have now, for the most part, happily passed away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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