Captain Marryat, in “Peter Simple,” gives an account of a visit to Postdown Fair, near Portsmouth, and an adjournment to the local Ranelagh Gardens to “see the fireworks.” As the pyrotechnist was behind time, Peter Simple and his friends took it upon themselves to fire the display. “In about half a minute off they all went in the most beautiful confusion; there were silver stars and golden stars, blue lights and Catherine Wheels, Mines and Bombs, Grecian fires and Roman Candles, Chinese Trees, rockets and illuminated mottoes, all firing away, cracking, popping, and fizzing at the same time. It was unanimously agreed that it was a great improvement on the intended show.” Undoubtedly the gardens best remembered at the present day are Vauxhall and Ranelagh, neither of which were early in the field in presenting firework displays to the public. The first displays took place at Vauxhall about 1798, more than half a century after their appearance at some of the less famous gardens, and did not become a permanent feature of the programme until 1813. They continued regularly until the final closing of the gardens in 1859, the final item of the programme being “Farewell for Ever” in letters of fire. In 1813 an item in the firework programme was the performance of Madame Saqui, which was to slide down an inclined rope 350 feet long from the top of a mast 60 feet high, erected on the firework platform, enveloped in fireworks. So popular did this exhibition become that it was repeated here by other performers, by Longueman in 1822, and later by Blackmore. The best-known pyrotechnists connected with Vauxhall were Southby, Mortram, and Hengler, the first display being by an Italian named Invetto. Pyrotechnic displays at Ranelagh became a prominent feature of the amusements about 1767. The pyrotechnists Angelo, father and son, during that and the following years, helped to establish these displays in popularity, followed by Clithero, Caillot, Brock, Rossi, and Tessier, up to the closing of the gardens in 1805, after which date they appear to have been opened from time to time on special occasions. “The Morning Chronicle” of June 1st, 1812, announces that “By the Authority of the Right Hon. the Lord Chamberlain” these gardens would be open “in Honour of His Majesty’s Birthday, with a grand naval and military Fete, and a superb exhibition of Fireworks.” An interesting old advertisement, dated 1766: “For the Benefit of the General Lying-in Hospital. The most superb and Magnificent Fireworks ever exhibited at that Place, under the conduct and direction of Mr. Angelo.” It would appear from this that fireworks had been fired at Ranelagh earlier than 1766, but they could not have been a regular feature before 1767.