Social England under the Regency, Vol. 1 (of 2)Ashton, John
History
Social England under the Regency, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Ashton, John
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Regency -- England
It was no use trying to fight the purchase of these precious coins:
every plan possible was put in force--How is this? "LOST--EIGHT
GUINEAS--Whoever may have found the same, and will bring them to ----
shall receive ten pounds reward." It was all of no use, the guineas
used to be smuggled out of the Country as much as ever, and on July
3rd, in the Court of King's Bench, in the case of De Yonge, who had
been convicted of purchasing guineas for more than 21 shillings, and
whose case had been reserved for the opinion of the twelve judges, it
was decided that such purchase was not an offence punishable under
the existing laws.
CHAPTER V.
A smuggler's victim -- Illness of Gilray -- A gallant highwayman
-- A Witch -- Bartholomew Fair -- The Comet -- A Practical joke
on the Queen -- Woman's Cricket Match -- Ballooning -- French
prisoners of war -- Luddite riots -- The King and his physicians
-- His health.
The odds and ends of gossip for July may be taken briefly as
follows--Smuggling was very common, and our grandfathers had not the
faintest notion that they were doing wrong in purchasing wares that
had never paid the King his dues. In fact, many were proud of it.
Sometimes they got sold, as the following story will vouch for. It
happened that in Windsor and its neighbourhood, a woman, clad in a
long red cloak, appeared, calling about dusk at several houses with
a sample of excellent Cognac brandy. She stated that her husband
was waiting at a little distance with several casks of the same,
which they could sell at a very low price. Several people agreed to
take Casks, which were duly delivered, and the money for which was
properly paid. Alas! alas! when the brandy came to be tapped it was
nothing but water.
Poor Gilray, the Caricaturist, from whom I have so much borrowed,
and who exemplified the manners of his times as well as ever Hogarth
did, had been ill, and had knocked off work for some time--yet he
still lived at Mrs. Humphrey's house in St. James Street, attempted,
while in a fit of delirium, to throw himself out of the attic storey
window. Luckily for him there were iron bars to that window, and
his head got jammed, which, being perceived by a Chairman waiting
outside White's Club, who instantly went to render assistance, he
was extricated, and proper persons were appointed to take care
of him. Poor Gilray etched his last picture in 1811, and it was
entitled, "Interior of a Barber's Shop in Assize Time," but it was
not published until May 15, 1818, nearly three years after his death,
which took place on the 1st of June, 1815. It is a comfort to know
that from the setting in of his mania until his death, he was well
looked after by his old friend Mrs. Humphrey.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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