Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, October 16, 1841Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, October 16, 1841
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
It will be seen, by a glance at the above table, that the three great
divisions of society, namely, _High Life, Low Life_, and _Middle Life_,
are subdivided, or more properly, sub-classed, into the Superior,
Transition, and Metamorphic classes. Lower still than these in the social
scale is the Primitive Formation--which may be described as the basis and
support of all the other classes. The individuals comprising it may be
distinguished by their ragged surface, and shocking bad hats; they
effervesce strongly with gin or Irish whiskey. This class comprehends the
_St. Giles's Group_--(which is the lowest of all the others, and is found
only in the great London basin)--and that portion of the Whitechapel group
whose individuals wear Bluchers and ride in pleasure 'wans' to Richmond on
Sundays. In man's economy the _St. Giles's Group_ are exceedingly
important, being usually employed in the erection of buildings, where
their great durability and hod-bearing qualities are conspicuous. Next in
order is the Metamorphic class--so called, because of the singular
metamorphoses that once a week takes place amongst its individuals; their
common every-day appearance, which approaches nearly to that of the _St.
Giles's Group_, being changed, on Sundays, to a variegated-coloured
surface, with bright buttons and a shining "four-and-nine"--goss. This
class includes the upper portion of the _Whitechapel Group_, and the two
lower strata of the _Clapham Group_. The _Whitechapel Group_ is the most
elevated layer of the inferior series. The Shabby Genteel stratum occupies
a wide extent on the Surrey side of the water--it is part of the _Clapham
Group_, and is found in large quantities in the neighbourhood of
Kennington, Vauxhall, and the Old Kent-road. A large vein of it is also to
be met with at Mile-end and Chelsea. It is the lowest of the secondary
formation. This stratum is characterised by its fossil remains--a great
variety of miscellaneous articles--such as watches, rings, and silk
waistcoats and snuff-boxes being found firmly imbedded in what are
technically termed _avuncular depositories_. The deposition of these
matters has been referred by the curious to various causes; the most
general supposition being, a peremptory demand for rent, or the like, on
some particular occasion, when they were carried either by the owner, his
wife, or daughter, from their original to their present position, and left
amongst an accumulation of "popped" articles from various districts. The
chief evidence on this point is not derived from the fossils themselves,
but from their _duplicates_, which afford the most satisfactory proof of
the period at which they were deposited. Articles which appear originally
to have belonged to the neighbourhood of Belgrave-square have been
frequently found in the depositories of the district between Bethnal-green
and Spitalfields. By what social deluge they could have been conveyed to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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