The History of the Catnach Press: at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Alnwick and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in Northumberland, and Seven Dials, London — John Shaqi
The History of the Catnach Press: at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Alnwick and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in Northumberland, and Seven Dials, LondonHindley, Charles
History
The History of the Catnach Press: at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Alnwick and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in Northumberland, and Seven Dials, London
Hindley, Charles
Ballads -- Publishing -- England -- History -- 19th century; Ballads, English -- England -- Bibliography; Catnach, James, 1792-1841; Chapbooks -- Publishing -- England -- History -- 19th century; Children's literature -- Publishing -- England -- History -- 19th century; England -- Imprints; Printing
Mr. Morgan expressed his willingness to give all the information he could
on the subject and leave it to our generosity to pay him what we pleased,
and adding that he had no doubt that we should not fall out on that score.
And so we proceeded, we talked and took notes. Mr. Morgan talked and took
gin. Mr. Morgan got warm--warmer and warmer--and very entertaining, his
conversational powers increased wonderfully, he became very witty and
laughed _ha! hah!!_ he joked and made merry at some old reminiscences in
connection with old Jemmy Catnach--and admitted, that after all old Jemmy
wasn't a particular bad sort--that is, when you knew him, and could handle
him properly--then old Jemmy was as right as my leg! Still we continued to
talk and take notes, still Mr. Morgan talked and took gin, until he
emulated the little old woman who sold "Hot Codlings," for of her it is
related that--"the glass she filled and the bottle she shrunk and that
this little old woman in the end got----."
At length it became very manifest that we should not be able to get any
more information out of Mr. John Morgan on that day, so proposed for him
to call again on the morrow morning and at the same time and place to
pursue the thread of our narrative. Then having presented him with a
portrait of Her most gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, set in gold, we
volunteered to see him down stairs which we observed were very
crooked--Mr. Morgan thought they were very old and funny ones: up and down
like--in fact what old Charley Dibdin would have called regular "whopping
old stairs!" Being safely landed from the last stone step on to the
stone-paved way, we thought it advisable, for appearance sake, to conduct
our friend out of Barnard's Inn by a sideway leading into Fetter-lane.
After that it occurred to us that it would perhaps be better to see him to
the Fleet-street end of the lane and then to put him into a Westminster
omnibus, but we had reached Somerset House before one going that way came
in sight. Then it was Mr. John Morgan suddenly recollected that he could
not pass his old friend Short--who was Short? why surely you know
Short--old Short, him as sells the wine so good and so cheap, there over
the way--that's Short's--"WINES FROM THE WOOD," that's out of the cask you
know, you remind me to-morrow, sir, and I'll tell you a good tale about
old Short before he made such a lot of money as he has got now.--Capital
chap old Short, he knows me--it's all about a song I wrote--but I'll tell
you all about it to-morrow. Besides I must have change ye know for there's
no one got any at my home--my landlord--There's no change about him, Oh!
dear no--He's never got any change but he's always got an old account, do
you see? an old account--but no matter let's go in!
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