GOING TO NEWMARKET. TALES OF THE TOWN. MRS. LORIMER SPINKS; OB, THE MARRIED LADY THAT WAS A LITTLE TOO GAY. CHAPTER H. A LONDON BROTHEL— TIIE MYSTERY THICKENS— THE SAILOR— THE POCKET BOOK— AND THE NEW DRESS LODGER. WE loft Mrs. Spinks in our last at lier own establishment in Bosoman Street after the squabble with the cabman, and we in- timated that almost immediately after peace had been restored between her husband and tike cabman, by the latter receiving his fare, another cab, containing two strangers, arrived, which staying R few minutes drove off. To explain who and what the parties were in this cab is not at present compatible with the interest of our tale, and we must therefore retrace our steps, and, taking our readers with us, change the locality and the characters to a very different quarter. It wanted but a few minutes to nine o'clock on the same evening that the events had transpired, the particulars of which we have been hitherto narrating, that a short, middle- aged woman, shabbily attired, with a clean cap and a coarse apron, might be seen leaning, or lounging, against the door- post of a private house that stood in the corner of one of the little courts that, prior to tire conversion of Cranbourne Alley into a fine street, was parallel with Leicester Square. There was something particularly clean about the appearance of the house, the two little stone steps were scrupulously white, the oil- cloth that covered the small passige had not a particle of dust upon it, and the little inner, or hall- door, with its Venetian blinds, and diminutive brass knocker, gave a finish to the place that, taken in connection with the dirty character of the avenue in which the building was situated, could not fail to attract the attention of a stranger. Lest, however, tills should not be the case, the female to whom wc have just alluded, took an op- portunity of inquiring of every couple that passed the door, " if they wanted a room?"— this query was put in alow smothered tone of voice, but with as much amiability thrown into its accent as possible. The application, however, it would seem, was either of too ambiguous a character, or persons felt a delicacy in taking a lodging at such an advanced hour of the day, for the lady continued, like wisdom,'" calling aloud in the street,'' for " no man hearkened unto her." The solicitations of the elderly creature were, however, inter- rupted, after sometime, by the appearance of two women, who, strolling up the court, halted immediately in front of her. " Well, Hannah,'' said the tallest of the two, who, dressed in a very tight faded black velvet pelisse, and an excessively showy bonnet, looked like the soiled leaf from a fashion- book of the last century, " what have you done with all the men to- night? I've been up and down the Square these last two hours, and not a single fellow has spoken to me." " There is no money about at all," said the shortest of the two; " I haven't touched a ha'penny since Friday, and me and Lizzy are now dying for a drain, and we haven't a brown." " Why, what is the matter?" said the tallest, whom we Bhall call Lizzy, observing the silence of Hannah, the servant, for such was her position, " what do you mean by pointing into the passage— who's there ?" " Hush," said Hannah, speaking in a low tone, " the foreigner chap's servant, or whatever he is, is inside with missus and the old man, and I expect the swell himself here shortly, or I'd go over to the Lion and stand a drop." " Oh, never mind about them," said the shortest of the two; " it's only Mother Spinks's fellow ; let her look after her chaps her- self— a nasty wretch ; she ought to be ashamed of herself, a mar- ried woman too; she has not the excuse us poor girls have for doing wrong ; we are compelled to do so for a living." " We must here digress for a moment to observe, that even the most abandoned of these unfortunate victims of man's sen- suality ever look with a degree of scorn upon a married woman, who, for the mere gratification of her lustful passion, can leave her husband. Indeed, with a species of boasting, some of the lost creatures, who may be found at the wine- rooms and late night houses, often exclaim, when pointing to one who has sturged after the fashion we have just alluded to, " Well, I do get paid for it." " One would have thought she'd have had enough of the streets," continued Lizzy, " when she was at the bonnet- shop below, before old Spinks married her— what do you say, Jenny ?" " You're are both wrong," interrupted Hannah, " give the devil his due, bnt Margaret is not to blame this time, anyhow, for I think she'd sooner die than have anything to do with the ugly foreign fellow that comes here after her." " Then what does she come here at all for ?" said the two women in a breath; " this is no proper place for a married woman." " Well, well," was the answer, " it's a very strange circum- stance, and to me a rigmarole sort of story that brings her here." " So I should think," answered Lizzy. " Why, is she not actually coming to- night, and this foreign chap to be here to meet her?" " No," replied the other quickly, " you are wrong again, you always will ho an hour too fast. She is coming here to- night, but she don't know this Marquis is coming, that's a dodge of missus's— she is a knowing one, I never saw such a woman for business ; but I must not stand here jatving all nisht, or I shall get finely in for it. Holloa!" she exclaimed suddenly, " who is that looking about the end of the court ?" " It's a chap dressed like a midshipman,'' said Jenny; " I think he wants to come up here— I'll go and speak to him, perhaps he'll treat us." " No, no," exclaimed Hannah, " don't go near him— I'll stand a quartern directly. Why, that's the very covey all this shindey is about with Mother Spinks— that brings her here to- night, so nicely has our missus worked it." " Why he's nothing to do with the foreigner?" inquired Jenny. " No, certainly not," answered the woman. " Well!" exclaimed the tall girl, thoughtfully, " it's a very strange thing, but I saw that fellow the other n'ght in Coventry- street, and although he looked at me very hard, and I thought I had seen him somewhere before, I would not speak to him." " And where do you think you have seen him, and what do you tliink he is ?" asked Hannah knitting her brow, and looking full into the countenance of the last speaker. " D— n it all," replied the woman, " don't look at one as it you'd eat ' em; why do you want to know?" " I hare a reason," said the servant, " and a very important one." " Why it's not an old man of your's, surely," observed Jenny, laughing. " Don't be a fool," continued Hannah. " Come, Lizzy," she added, " do you know anything of this chap?— you are looking at ( The Second Quarterly Part will lit. issued at ll. e publication ol N- i. 26. Part I. now I ready. Each Part to contain 13 Nos. in a Wrapper, for Is. Post free, Is. 6d. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. [ PRICE ONE PENNY. THE TOWN. 3 him very hard, and the gas- light falls right on his face; now you can see him very plainly— he's, a devillish good looking fellow, ain't he?" " Yes," answered the girl, " and if X am not much mistaken, it was his good looks, as you call them, that seduced and brought. my poor sister Emma to London, and I have never seen her 81 "" where, then, was it that you think you saw him?" said Hannah. " When I served at the Star and Garter, Liverpool; my pom- sister's education was too good for such a place— God send I was there now," was the answer; " but," she continued, " who do you take him for?" " Well, then," replied Hannah, looking into the passage to see if any one was there, " you know Mrs. Spinks, and her maiden name was Margaret Dorkings?" " Yes, yes," said Lizz, " what then?" " Well, then, I believe that sailor who is coming up the court, and whose pocket- book you recollect I found, and set poor Mar- garet nearly frantic?" " What do you mean ?" exclaimed botli. * » * » " Ich hale shreilich viel Muhegehalt, sie hieher zu bririgen,' ( I have had a most terrible difficulty to get her to come hither), added the woman, who was also the mistress. " You will be well paid," replied the young man quickly, in English; " so good bye for the present," and as he spake he left the house. " Ve shall be veil paid," said the man, whom we shall call Shadrach; " by my life, Rachel, if ve don't watch very closely ; vot vithdis pocket- book job,. the young sailor, and Peggy Spinks, • ve shall get put away. Holloa, who is this ?" he added : and as he spoke, a young, delicate, but extremely beautiful female, very thinly clad, and apparently in the laststage of consumption, made her appearance upon the door- step. " All right," said Mrs. Shadrach, pushing past her husband. " Come in, my dear; it's the young lady from the country, that's to be our new dress lodger." The inner door was again opened, and tha trembling young creature was about entering the place, when a fine, tall, well- dressed female rushed past her, and fainted upon the staircase, exclaiming—" Good God, I'm watched !" It was Mrs. Spinks. [ To be continued. MEMOIR OF A FKENCH LADY OF FASHION- ( Continued from our last.) a splendid glass lustre, and on the mantel- shelf a time- piece of the size of an infant. The boudoir was of primrose satin. Circular divans, cande- labras, Chinese curiosities, and lace, nothing was wanting. An arm chair, the seat of which was polished, and the springs destroyed by frequent use, proved that this piece of furniture was the favorite of its mistress, and that seated in it she passed the greatest portion of her time at the chimney corner. Add to this a rosewood piano. I walked through this apartment and followed the ladies who had preceded me. They entered a chamber hung with Persian damask, and I was also about to enter it, when they almost immediately quitted it, smiling, as if they had been ashamed of this novel curiosity. I was but the more desirous of entering the room, which was nothing more than the dressing - room, invested with its most minute details, in which appeared to have been developed to the highest point the prodigality of the deceased. On a large table next the wall, and which might have beea six feet long by three feet wide, sparkled all the treasures from the ware- rooms of Ancoe and Odinot. Nothing disarranged the unity of this collection, and not one of the many articles so necessary to the toilet of a woman such as the one in whose dressing- room we now were, was of any other metal than silver or gold. Still this collection could only have been made by degrees, and it was not the same amour that bad completed it. In fact, I, who was not frightened like the ladies, at the sight of the dressing- room of a kept woman, amused myself in examining the details such as they were. At the end of a few minutes, I observed that all these magnificently chased articles bore different initials and different crests. From this I augured that each in his turn bad brought his dressing- case, and that as a matter of course, he had not carried it away, which had finished by completing this magnificent ensemble, which be- trayed a certain number of successors. 1 regarded all these things, each of which represented to me a prostitution of the poor girl, and I said to myself that God had watched over her, since he had not ordained that she should arrive at the ordinary chastisement, and had allowed her to die in the midst of her luxury, her youth, and her beauty; so that her memory might rest in the minds of some, since she had died ere she was over- taken by old a^ e, that first death of courtesans. 1 know nothing so bad to behold as the decrepitude of vice, especially in a woman. It possesses no poesy, it in- spires no interest. This ruin of a past splendour is sor- rowful to behold by our side. This everlasting repent- ance, not of the evil road followed, but of calculations badly formed, and gold mis- spent, is one of the most sad- dening things we can listen to. I knew an old courtesan, to whom nothing remained of her past life but a daugh- ter, almost as handsome, if her contemporaries are to be believed, as her mother had been. This poor girl, to whom her mother had never said, " You are my child," except to order her to nourish her old age as she herself had nourished her infancy, this poor creature, with whom filial love had never been invoked but on speculation, poetised her beauty by the pallor which results from native and incurable diseases of the chest. I remember that her name was Louise, and that obedient to her mother, she prosti- tuted herself, because she had been told to do so, without • will, without passion, as she would have done anything else had she been ordered. She was an automaton. Nothing good had germinated in this nature, because nothing good had been sown there. The continual sight of debauchery, a precocious de- bauchery, still farther excited by the continued sickly state of this poor girl, had extinguished in her the knowledge of good and evil which God had perhaps given her, but which 110 one had thought of developing. I shall always remember this poor girl, who passed along the Boulevards almost daily at the same hour. Her mother always accompanied her, as assiduously as a real mother would have accompanied her daughter. I was very young • t that period, and ready to accept for myself the easy morals of our age. I remember, however, what shame and disgust this scandalous surveillance caused me. Add to this, that never had a virgin's face so much the appearance of innocence, so much the expression of melan- choly suffering. She appeared like an image of resignation. One day the face of this girl brightened up. In the midst of her joyless debaucheries, of which her mother drew up the programme, Louise had a ray of celestial joy. The soul has strange asylums. It seemed to this sinner that God • had allowed her a happiness. And why, after all, should God, who had created her without strength, leave her without consolation under th<> painful burden of life ? Without knowing why, the girl announced to her mother that she was pregnant, and she appeared to feel great joy at the revelation just made to her. ' Tis shameful to say! but we are not now excusing, we are narrating a fact that is true, which we should do better perhaps to be silent upon, did we not believe that we should, from time to time, reveal the martyrdoms of these poor creatures, whom we condemn without judging, whom we despise without knowing. The mother, we say, replied to her child, that already they had not more than enough for two, and that they should not have enough for three; that children were useless, and that pregnancy was time lost. The next day a midwife, whom we shall merely describe as the friend of the mother, came to see Louise, who re- mained some days in bed, and who rose from it paler and more feeble than before. Three months afterwards, a man took pity oa this poor girl, whose moral and physical recovery he undertook, but the last shock had been too violent, and Louise died fiom the effects of the miscarriage she had suffered. The mother still lives, how : God knows. This history of Louise had recurred to my mind whilst I contemplated the gold and silver objects of different dress- ing- eases, and some time had apparently elapsed, for the noble lady- visitors had departed, and in the apartment there was but myself and an attendant, who, from the door, attentively watched that I appropriated nothing. I perceived the surveillance of which I was the object, and I approached the individual in whom I had inspired such serious misgivings. " Sir," I said to him, with the politeness we owe these sort of men, " can you tell me the name of the person who resided here ?" " Mademoiselle Marguerite Gautier," the man replied to me. I remembered, in fact, that I had often met a pretty girl of this name, and whose reputation at Pa. riswas great. She was one of those whose beauty and prodigality had become proverbial. " How !" I said to the attendant, " Marguerite Gautier is dead ?" " Yes, sir." " And when, pray ?'' " About three weeks since, I think." " And why are the apartments allowed to be Visited?" " The creditors thought it would advance the prices. People can see beforehand the effect produced by the stuffs and furniture; you understand, this encourages them to purchase." " She had debts, then ?" " Oh! sir, plenty of them." " But the sale will cover them, no doubt f " And beyond." " To whom will the surplus go?" " To her family." " She has a family, then i" " So it appears." " Thank you, sir," I said to the man who had given Me this information. The latter, reassured as to my intentions, saluted me, and I left. " Poor girl!" I said to myself on reaching my own room, " she must have had a sorrowful death, for, in her world, one has no friends but on condition of being always in good health." And despite myself, I commiserated the fate of Marguerite Gautier. This may, perhaps, appear ridiculous to many persons ; but I have an inexhaustible indulgence for courtesans, and I do not even give myself the trouble of arguing that in- dulgence. One day, on going to obtain a passport at the prefecture, I saw in one of the adjacent streets a girl whom two gen- darmes were leading. I forget what the girl had done; all that I can say is, that she wept bitterly whilst embracing an infanta few months old, from whom her arrest separated her; now, so long as God leaves tears to a woman, how- ever lost she may be, she is not abandoned. Tears are the second baptism of the conscience; they always wash out something. We would not, hbweVer, simply write a philosophical book on courtesans. We pity with all our hearts these feeble creatures who sin daily without knowing, generally, what they do, and we do not arrogate to ourselves the right to be more severe towards them than Christ him- self was. At present, we content ourselves with narrating the simple history we have promised, again assuring our readers of its authenticity, and also begging them to draw from the recital, the conclusions which naturally result from it, and which we do not think it necessary to indicate.' CHAPTER II. THE sate was for the 16th. One day's interval was allowed between the inspection and the sale, to give time to the upholsterers to unhang the draperies, curtains, & c. At this period, I returned from a journey. It was very natural that I was not apprised of the death of Marguerite as part of that grand news which one's friends always im- part to him who returns to the capital of news. Mar- guerite was pretty, but after all, she was but a kept woman, and in proportion as their life of elegance makes a great noise, so does their death make but little. They are like the suns that set as they rose, without eclat. Their death, when they die young, is learnt by all their lovers at the same time, for at Paris nearly all the lovers of a known courtesan live in intimacy. A few remembrances, accom- panied by " Poor girl!", are exchanged about her for ten minutes— an hour at the most, and tbe life of all continues without this news troubling it even by a tear. When once the age of twenty- five is attained in this capital of the civilised world, tears become a thing too rare to be thus given to the first comer. ' Tis as much as can be expected if the relations, who pay by their heritage to be mourned, are so from the price they place upon it. As for myself, although my crest was not found on any of the toilet objects of Marguerite, although I had scarcely seen her, and had only known her as every young man knows the women who are kept in any style, this instinctive indulgence, this natural pity which 1 have just avowed, made me think of this death longer than it merited perhaps to be remembered. I recollected having met Marguerite very often at the Champs Elysees, where she came constantly every day, in a small blue barouche, to which was harnessed two mag- nificent bay horses. I remembered, too, that there was in this woman a great exterior distinction, but little common amongst her fraternity, a distinction which still further enhanced a beauty really unexceptionable, ( To be continued.) COCKNEY CAROLS. " What transport, what rapture! To- morrow's the day; The pic- nic is fixed, And there's nothing to pay I I shall see my Amelia, Shall sit by her side- Amelia, my loved one, My predestined bride. " All's ready; my macintosh, Waistcoat and coat, And my shirt with the frill At this moment's afloat In the Brobdignag pail Of the Blanchiseuse Dubbs, Submitting to her's And the pearl- ashes' scrubs.'' Thus saying, Adolphus Reclined on his pillow, As a sea- gull reclines. On the pellucid billow 1 What heavenly visions He saw in his dreams, As in fancy he wandered By murmuring streams. Surrounded with all sorts Of beautiful fairies, And sparrows that sang Like so many canaries! He sprang from his couch— The clock had struck eight, At nine they would start, Nor a moment could wait, We can let you know how Adolphus behaved ; He called for hot water, Then, reader, he shaved! Then he looked at the clock, And said, as he looked,. " If that shirt don't come soon I'm decidedly book'd." There's a. knock at the door,— A small girl appears ; Her nose was dejected, Her eyes filled with tears ; And she said, " If you please, Sir, our last wash is spiled By the sut from the chimbly." " What's that to me, child ? " I want but one garment, That's all I desire ; Did that catch the smuts 1" " No, sir, that caught fire! Mother gives her respects, And says she couldn't hinder The dreadful mishap—• But she's sent you the tinder 1" FISHING FOE A MAN. NOT IK THIS- HEATHEN MYTHOLOGY. LESBIA was one of the priestesses of Venus, and officiated at'her altars at Paphos, whence, when the inhuman depredations of the Turks compelled the wretched natives to seek for safety in flight, or submit to the conquering sword, with two infant daughters, she fled to an uninhabited comer of the island, opposite the coast of Syria; and in that seclusion, blest with all that wild, unculti- vated nature could bestow, she reared her daughters, and brought them to maturity, without their having any idea of society, of sexual difference, or that there was in the world such a creature as man. In society, or solitude, however, the feelings of nature will exert themselves; inexperienced as those young ladies were, they discovered early symptoms, one of prudery, the other of being a coquet. The eldest was ever learning maxims of wisdom and discretion from her mamma, while the youngest employed all her hours- in contemplating her own charms in the reflections of an adjacent fountain. Fishing was one of their amusements, as in- deed it was their chief means of subsistence in this solitude. Their mother had taught the damsels all the secrets of the art, showed them where to throw the line, the most proper baits for various seasons, and how to hook their finny prey. In occupa- tions like this, easy and innocent, their hours glided on; till one day their mother, being desirous to taste a particular sort of fish, desired her daughters to procure it, a task they readily undertook; and having fixed on the bait, sat down among the rocks, while 1he gilded hook glided gently down the current. Opposite to this island, on the Syrian coast, lived a famous diver, who, by long habit in his trade had almost grown amphibious, and could remain whole hours at the bottom of the water, without ever fetching breath- He> had that day swam to the Cyprian side, and was diving underneath at the very instant the ladies dropped their golden bait; and, beholding it with rapture, he resolved to seize the prize; both hands being already filled with the tributes of the deep, he was obliged to snap at it with his mouth. The con- sequence is readily imagined, the treacherous hook fastened in his ; aw, nor could all his struggling efforts set him free. " Sister," cries the youngest of the fair ones, " I have caught a monstrous fish! I never found anything struggle so at the end of my line before; pray help me to draw it up." They both assisted in hauling the monster to the beach ; but what can express their surprise on seeing him. " Bless me!" cries the prude, " what have we got here ? this is an extraordinary creature, indeed! for I never saw a fish with such a tail; but our mother has told me of this monster before : it certainly must be the Rootle Ruff that eats women. Let us throw it back into the sea, where we found it." The poor diver, in the meantime, stood upon the beach, at the end of the line, with the hook in his mouth, using every art he thought would best excite pity, and looking particularly tender; the coquet, therefore, influenced in some measure by the inno- cence of his looks, ventured to contradict her companion. " On my word, sister," says she, " I see nothing in the animal so terrible as you are pleased to apprehend. I think such a dish may serve well enough for a change; besides, always lobsters and craw- fish make me sick. I believe, now, a slice of that tail of his, nicely grilladed, and dressed up with shrimp sauce, might be very nice eating ; mamma would, perhaps, like a bit with pickles; and if it should not lay easy upon the stomach, it will be time enough, you know, to discontinue it when found disagreeable." " Hence," cries the prude; " would the girl be poisoned ? I tell you it is a Rootle Ruff; I have been told of it often ; and my mother always described it as one of the most pernicious animals that ever invested the ocean. I am certain it is the most insidious, ravenous creature in the world, and is certain destruction if taken internally." The youngest sister was now obliged to submit; and both assisted in drawing out the hook from the diver's mouth, when he, finding himself at liberty, beat his manly breast against the broad waves, and instantly disappeared. At this moment the mother came down to the beach, to inquire the cause of their delay, which they informed her of, describing the monster they had caught. " Alas, my children!" cried she, " what have you done? The fish you caught was a man- fish, one of the most tame domestic animals in the world.' We could have let him ruu and play about the garden, and he would have been twenty times more entertaining than our squirrel or monkey; besides, he would have been so agreeable at nights." " If that be all," said the young coquet, " fieli for him again; I am sure to catch him whenever I please." Accordingly, they threw in their lines once more; but with all their gilding and troJJmg they never could catch the THE TOWN. 3 diver. In this state of solitude, repining at their disappointment they long continued fishing, but without success, till the Cytherean goddess, propitious to her votaries, and unmindful of her priestess Lesbia, iu pity to their distress, changed the prude into a shrimp, and the coquet into an oyster. OUR TRADE REPORT. Meat.— Mutton still obtains a good price. Two very fine legs were shown at the Casino a few days since, and after some cavil- ling, were parted for the purchaser at a good figure. Buttocks are still sought after in the market. Vegetables.— Beet- root remains firm, notwithstanding the pick- ling season is over, and is still in much demand amongst the ser- vants at the West- end. A very little has been done in the forced line, if we except a trifle in young scarlet- runners. Carrots are gradually rising, and it is anticipated, prior to our next, they will have gone up very much. Flowers — Young roots of every description are in great de- mand, and fetch respectable sums: a peculiarly scented " old man'' was seen in Covent- garden last week, but was taken, with some very fine young blowings, to the house of a lady florist in Hart- street, at an extraordinary high price. Hats.— There are a quantity of French things in the market, which are much sought ufter in consequence of their spring, and have nearly superseded the English old hat. We don't, however, like them; for though air- tight, we are certain they are not water- proof. Leather.— There has been a good stroke of business done in this article, since our last, in Sheplierd- street, Oxford- street, at fair quotations; foreign shins in the neighbourhood of Regent- street have been anything but shy. Some stiff prices were de- manded by a private dealer, 011 Saturday, in Jermyn- street, and at first refused; but as the article was scarce in the market, and much required by the purchaser, the holder, although very tight, finally gave way, and a purchase was effected. There was a talk about hid, but we are not aware if any transaction in that line took place. Some very coarse hides have been shown in Rat- cliffe Highway, but the figure obtained was very low. THEATRICAL PERSECUTION. MES. EDWIN YARNOLD, with a vindictiveness of purpose strangely dissonant to our generally received opinion of woman's gentleness, has been rendering herself painfully conspicuous in Whitechapel, by prosecuting, or rather persecuting, a man of the name of Abbot. This man, it appears, was the keeper of a beer shop in Ratcliffe Highway : and Mrs. Yarnold's animus was created by his having " a circus for horse- riding in the rear of her premises." The poor devil, it appears, was without a shilling in the world, having just filed his schedule; but the proprietress of the Pavilion insisted upon pressing the charge. Mrs. Yarnold — Mrs. Edwin Yarnold !— this is not the way to succeed— not the way to be respected. You are not at the Haymarket Theatre now; and we question if a thousand pounds expended in news- paper puffs would ever get you t> situation there again; therefore, " live, and let live.'' You have been informed that it would be a fine piece of " gag" to have the affair in the papers. Heaven help you in your widowhood state, say we ; but you must be sadly advised, if this be the case ! for, remember, some public reports awaken curious recollections of by- gone times. However, when you talk of this unfortunate man, Abbot, keeping a place of resort for disorderly characters, " first remove the beam from thine own eye," for, in London, there cannot be found a more determined gang of midnight cut- throats and noon- day robbers than the frequenters of the Pavilion twopenny gallery. WIT AMONGST THE WITLERS. THE RED LION, RED LION STREET, HOLBORN.— ARMSTRONG. Holloa ! what here's another change 1 Has MILLIS cut his stick ? We thought that he had settled here i How well he does the trick ! Six houses he has made and sold, And fortunes to each brought ;* No wonder that by broker blades, His patronage is sought. The present host's a Watford youth; Though coves their rigs may try on, They'll find he's got an arm too strong To be beaten in the Lion. Then success to the Lion and its ruler, say we; May none from his porch ever lick him ; And if a sharp tries to come " Town " o'er thee, Why then, Country— you must jolly well kick him. THE BARKING DOGS, TABERNACLE WALK, FINSBURT.— J. TAVERNER. The barking dogs that oft meet here, Are of the breed that's right; For Joe for years could ne'er abide A puppy in his sight. Game dogs, they can both bark and bite, If that occasion offers, As knows the cur who sometimes calls And tries to fill his coffers. Keep off, my youth, you're 110 use here, Taverner is to you " down;'' No chalk or tick; therefore, my swell, Just bring out hali'- a- crown. THE KING WILLIAM THE FOURTH, NEW GRAVEL- LANE, SHADWELL. Oh! for a Boz's pen to show, An Hogarth's art to paint, In colours true, the wretched mob, Who here, without restraint, Disgrace the name of either sex, Wallow in drink all day, And care not who may rob or starve, So they can soak their clay. THE STAR, CITY- ROAD.— J. KEAST. Jack Keast, Jack Keast, thy glorious mug Of late has borne a mystic gloom. Why so chop- fallen? is it true The swells have cut thy smoking- room? " Now stow your chaffing, master TOWN, Your slang won't do, for I'm a- fly, . And doesn't care a single d— n, I'm a reg'lar axe my eye.'' You're going the pace very tidy, With your tossing and betting all night, And kicking men out in the morning, By your bullies who wrangle and fight. Be warned, and heed this advice well, It's useless to bluster or frown, If again we should hear of such doings, Your life we'll set forth in the TOWN. CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES— No. 1. BENTON NICHOLSON, ESQ,, JUSTICE TAVERN, 36, Bow STREET. This article originally appeared in No. 1, but, inconsequence of an accident, in reprinting, we were compelled to transpose it to thf> present number. Perhaps, in no sphere of town- life within the last ten years, through all its varied multifarious changes, has an individual enjoyed so much popularity, or appeared so prominently before the public as Mr. Renton Nicholson. We repeat that few men have acquired so much notoriety,— few individuals indeed have had such an oppor- tunity of judging of, and delineating, the characters with which this metropolis swarms,— a capability acquired, too, by a something more than theoretical acquaintanceship with each and every one of the parties described. But little is known to the great mass of this gentleman's friends, of his " general whereabouts," till the summer of 1837, when he suddenly burst into " London- life" with the pro- duction of the TOWN. ( The career of Mr. Nicholson has been so interwoven with this publication, that In reviving this w ork, and giving to the world a sketch of its original conductor, we find it dif- ficult to separate its history from him.) The graphic descriptions of the scenes it purported to delineate, and the minute particularizing and exposing of private incidents in the career of some of the most notorious characters upon town, whilst they interested and excited the attention of the reader, at the same time created astonishment and inquiry as to who the individual could be, and by what process of literary research he could have obtained possession of such infor- mation. These desirings, up to the present period, have not been gratified; few upon the press being sufficiently acquainted with the early history of this untiring caterer for public amusement. Mr. Nicholson, we have repeatedly heard stated, is in his 39th year, a native of this " great village," aud come of a highly respectable family ; one of his brothers having died in the naval service of his country, and another is still living, and in an extensive mercantile business in the City of London. Nick was early associated with the things that appertain unto " sporting," being for many years director of a large pawnbrokering establishment at the extreme portion of the western metropolis; and many, very many are the humorous anecdotes told of him during the time he wus with " mine uncle." He subsequently, from the circumstance of being a gay young spark, became associated with " The men upon town," and we remember him about seventeen or eighteen years since, the proprietor of a marquee at the races; this intro- duced him to that class of eccentric individuals, the play- world, and all the sporting characters of the day : thus accounting for the vast information he was enabled to give upon these and other gay topics which appeared in the columns of the Town. Fortune did not., however, always smile upon our obese friend, who did not then possess, to quote his peculiar phraseology, " such an elaboration of abdomen;" and various were the vicissitudes he went through till the publication of the Town, as alluded to above. The Town continued, through good and ill- repute, its career of success for four years, supported by the contributions of Pellet, ( afterwards the celebrated double of Lord Brougham), the late Dalrymplc, Thompson, Townsend, Dalton, Sloman, and Somer- ville ( the soldier). Circumstances, the merits of which it is not our business to revive, imbued the proprietor in a literary quarrel, the result of which ended in the introduction of Mr. Nicholson to the walls of the Queen's Bench prison, where he remained till his trial ( which he had removed by certiorari) with the Society for the Suppression of Vice. Upon his liberation, the Town proceeded with equal success; and here we must observe by way of episode, that almost from the commencement of the TOWN, the Garrick's Head Hotel, in Bow Street, the property of Simpson, of the Albion, had been peculiarly favoured by its editor; inde- pendent of frequent long articles praising the establishment and small puff paragraphs scattered about the publication, he gave to the house his personal patronage and also that of his friends. Every speculation of " Tommy Simpson," such as Sal Masques, & c., were— as it is technically termed— " written up." This line of conduct procured for him the friendship of Mr. Simpson, and Lacey ( whose history and career we shall give in a future number) having for some months vainly struggled to make a business of the tap department of the Garrick's Head, cordially and with " outstretehed arms," received the proposition that Nicholson should become the mana- ging director of the hotel department of the house. From this period we may date the gradual decline of the TOWN as a publica- tion, and the rise of the Garrick's Head. His new position of host prevented his attention to the former, and his name, which was known from the " Land's- end to John 0' Groat's," brought thousands to the latter. Shortly after Nicholson's connection with the Gar- rick's Head, at the suggestion of Mr. Charles Sloman, who was the original chairman and judge, he commenced the Judge aud Jury Society. The closeness of the burlesque upon our fi& urts of law, and the eccentric imitation of Brougham by Pellet created a perfect furor in the public mind; as a novelty it was the talk of all London, and from a one night in the week's representation, it was found neces- sary subsequently to alter to three, and finally to every evening. Mr. Charles Sloman was succeeded by the late Robert Ilalford, the come- dian, and he ultimately gave place to Nicholson. Strange as itmay ap- pear, it is no less the fact, his first appearance was a decided failure, and it was only by acting upon the advice of the gentleman who suggested the forming of the Society, that he was induced to repeat the character. His stalwart appearance, and the fact of being the host, gave to him a degree of confidence and import- ance that eventually placed him in the impersonation of the judge beyond all approach. Near about this period, the TOWN was made a stamped paper, but its success was of a very unimportant character; Mr. N— speculated in a publication called Nicholson's Noctes, which, however, was but very short- lived; a paper called the Illustrated London Life fol- lowed, and met with the same success, after a very considerable sum of money had been expended upon it. Mr. N—' s rage for speculation, although with his unbounded, and in too many in- stances, undiscriminating generosity, now began to display itself, and the result ended in his being pecuniarily involved. He subsequently became connected with Cremorne Gardens, in which he has, even now, some interest; and he had also several times visited the provinces of his judge and jury, including the Sister Kingdom, and recently the modern Athens, where his reception wus most enthusiastic. The judge and jury, by which Mr. . N— is now most conspicuously known to the general public, is, however, very much changed, ( we cannot say deteriorated) since its formation, the double o( Brougham who was only popular from the closeness of his imitation, and any thing but successful as a speaker, even the former being of an uncertain character from his gross habits of intemperance, after about two years' connection, in consequence of an accident, left, Mac Connel ( the lame- man as he wa » called) died about three- years- and- a- half since, followed by Canning, the celebrated witness, one Hollingsworth the occasional judge and witness, ail of whom were associated with the best days of this amusing entertainment. We have hitherto been speaking of Nicholson in his public character, but it is only those who have seen and noted him in the quietude of the domestic circle, that can judge of him as a man. In temper, he is hasty, impetuous, passionate, and un- certain ( and there are but few of his friends who have not felt the truth of this last remark) but forgiving and generous even to a positive forgetfulness of his own interest. The most " wide- awake man upon town," yet the more easily duped, and led away by a tale of distress of any one in London. As a bon- vivant, his capabilities are of first- rate description ; his conver- sational powers and the fund of anecdote which he possesses, render him a most desirable companion, and amongst the circle of his friends we might enumerate names the most eminent both in the legal and literary profession. There is, however, a kindness, an indescribable species of suaviter in modo blended with a gentlemanly bearing about the Baron, that must not be forgotten ; it is always observed by strangers, and we once re- member hearing an eminent provincial physician observe, after an introduction, " that he had never met with a man who could raise his hat from his head with such perfect familiarity as Nicholson." In short, the Lord Chief Baron is a good fellow" a thorough good fellow; and it is with regret that we have to announce that he has left the Garrick's Head. Circumstances, over which our old friend could have no control, rendered this step inevitable; the public have not, however, lost the services of this child of mirth; his " sphere of location " and and general usefulness is not stopped. At the " Justice Tavern," only six doors lower down, he now hangs out his banner. Need we say more? Can it be necessary for us to urge upon liis friends, and their name should be legion, to rally round him? The quenchless Judge and Jury still continues its sittings as usual; consequently, the public must not forget an old and tried public servant, but exclaim to him, in the words of the old song— " However fortune vary, We will still be true to thee.'' A QUEER STORY ABOUT A BIRMINGHAM CAPTAIN; OR, WOMAH'S WIT TRIUMPHANT. ALL who have ever been at Birmingham must have heard of Captain Craven, a gent, who, in his day, was celebrated for his Waterfordian pranks. This scion of nobility had pretended honourable love for a Miss Caroline P—, but his general charac- ter induced her to avoid him as much as possible; being at a party, however, near Handsworth, where the Captain was one of the guests, she was obliged to endure him, until his amorous con- duct caused her to make a more hasty departure than at first intended; her carriage not being ordered for so early an hour, she was obliged to walk unattended, and that, too, across some fields, the nearest way to her uncle's residence. The Captain, taking advantage of these circumstances so favourable to his de- signs, followed until a favourable opportunity presented itself; when, overtaking her, he began his importunity, which caused her to forbid his advances for the future; this son of Mars was not to be repulsed so easily, and after exhausting all the persuasive powers that he was master of, he proceeded to force, which would, no doubt, have made him master of the citadel, had not her cries for help brought two farming men, passing that way, to her assist- ance, who soon disarmed liim of his sword, and conveyed him to the lock- up. The next morning, after cooling his courage among the straw, he was placed before the village Midas, and Miss P— was obliged, although reluctantly, to appear. The man of law recognising the lovely niece of his old friend, the Hon. George D—, in Miss P—, began to treat the assault in a most serious manner, but as it was too dark for the countrymen to see what the Captain was doing when they took him, they had but little to say, and as the Captain refused to utter a syllable, the Justice in- sisted upon Miss Caroline informing him of the whole facts; but she feeling that an explanation of the affair would but fill the ears of the prudes and gossips of the surrounding neighbourhood at her expense, and doubting but the Captain's present unpleasant pre- dicament would cure his propensity for touching forbidden fruit, endeavoured to excuse herself, but all in vain. Dogberry, finding she was disposed to let the blue- coated man- of- war escape the hands of justice, declared that if she did not depose to all the circumstances of the case, he should remand him until he com- municated with her uncle! perceiving his determination, and not wishing the affair to go further, she called stratagem to her aid, " A trusty friend and splendid breeder, To those who know her use, and need hjr," and commenced as follows:—" Sir, since I must disclose the un- pleasant particulars, they are simply these; last night, on my return home from an evening party, I was crossing the Maidenhead Fields, and, nearly at the bottom, as I turned into Maidenhead Lane, the Captain overtook me, and taking me for the cook of Mr. Rivers, demanded the loan of my fish- kettle, which I, of course, most in- dignantly refused, upon which he swore, that he would have the use of it, and thinking to kiss me into compliance, he began to act like what he was pleased to call a man of feeling; I considered it madness, and high words ensued, which brought those men to my assistance." " Yes, your worship," rejoined the Captain, " that is all, I assure you; and being anxious to cook a lobster my father had given me before it spoiled, I mistook this lady for the 000k of my friend, and wished to borrow her fish- kettle to cook it in, for which I am extremely sorry, and most humbly beg her pardon, as the only recompense in my power, and I beg to assure your worship, that in future I will be more particular in my applications, so that I may not make a like mistake, but find a professed cook who will lend me her fish- kettle to cook my lobster in." " Well," quoth old Squaretoes, " as it is only a dark mistake, and your lobster may spoil for want of cooking, you must pay five pounds for the use of the poor of the parish, and go about your business:" which was accordingly complied with, and the affair hushed up. THE WORKHOUSES. ALAS ! the blessings of the Poor Law bill compels us at the outset of our article to offer an apology for using an obsolete ex- pression. Workhouse has merged into the word Union, large, cleanly, strongly- constructed buildings, something between a prison and a lunatic asylum; indeed, many who have been in- mates of these places, prefer the former to again entering them, and there are numbers who are compelled to leave them for the last- named establishment. The company are of a very indiscri- minate character, and when the good old monastic principle ( to which, as regards the fast days, these places bear considerable affinity) the women are kept from the men. It is singular the contrariety of opinion that exists, with respect to the treatment experienced by visitors to these establishments, some persons would rather die in the streets than enter them; others are com- pelled to do so before they could obtain an order permitting their entry. PRECEPTS AND MORAL MAXIMS. HE is a wise man that revileth not a cabman; for thereby he will escape a sanguinary nose and an ornamental eye. Numerous ioves destroy the fineness of the affections; but, what- ever number we may love, No. 1 should be first and paramount as an object of admiration. He is a fool that seeks to keep the wintry blast from rushing through the chinks of his parlour door; for does he not know that " the wind bloweth where it listeth ?" That man is truly to be pitied who, five miles distant from any habitation, findeth he hath plenty of cigars, but no fusees. He who would get rich things must say rich things. That man is comparatively happy, who is obliged to pay the Income tax. He little knows the world who expects the water rate to walk away after knocking once. That man may be esteemed fortunate, who has had the chance of reading these maxims. 4 THE TOWN. 3 TOWN TRIPLES. THB late Mother Emmerson onee took Polly Watson with her to a boot- maker's on Ludgate- hill. Polly, at the time we are speaking of, had a very girlish appearance, but although pos- sessing a very pretty face and figure, had a tremendous large foot. The shopman brought forth several pairs of very small satin shoes, which he in vain tried to get on,— little judging the customers he had to deal with, he observed, " Bless my soul, I thought one of these would have fitted her— push, miss, push" when, to his astonishment, Mother E. exclaimed, " Push, be blowcd, she's such a precious width across, she'll take the lar- gest mau's size you can find." Scarce four months expired since Dick did wed, When, lo ! his fruitful wife was brought to bed. " Holloa!" cries Dick, " this is too soon, my Kate." " No Dick," said she, " you manied me too late." A decent- looking fellow of forty, with a little sentiment, a sprinkling of silvery hairs in his Brutus, a tear standing orderly at its sentry- box, ready to start forth at the mention of his de- ceased wife, good teeth and well on his pins, makes more havoc among women than half a dozen comely, but less experienced youngsters. The 17th regiment of hussars, after plundering the house of a widow, and emptying the last bottle of wine, seized the poor woman's daughter." " Oh ! gentlemen," said the poor woman, throwing herself on her knees before them, " spare the tender years of my child— you will kill her ; rather take me." What is a most disagreeable thing to leave in the seat of your own breeches, and a very annoying lark to drop in your neigh- bour's ?— A small pitch- plaister. What part of the male sex rises quickest at ths sight of a beautiful woman 1— The eye- lid. Why are. married ladies the best accountants ?— Because they have a personal knowledge of Cocker. Why, on a voyage, seems a dog Like my Lord Byron's boat to be ?— Because if pleased, or wanting prog, You'll find " his barlt upon the sea." We rarely, if ever, remember seeing a professional singer with a good hat on his head ; it's invariably greasy, or highly ironed; — we never met one at all in luck but he sported some piece of jewellery, no matter how shaky the togs, there was either the " fawny," or " yack- deception" ( watch guard), if they were only worth lialf- a- dollar the two. A LIVERPOOL WIFE'S JUDGMENT.— One day last week, a certain publican who keeps a house but a very short distance from the St. George's Hall, Liverpool, was saying to a neighbour, ft tailor, that all women were impure ; the tailor at first strongly refuted , this, but both being drunk, they agreed to cut cards to 6ee who was the cuckold of the two ; mine host cut nine, and the snip immediately turned up an ace. The land- lord nettled at being laughed at, swore he was cheated, when his wife entering the room suddenly, and fearing a quarrel, ex- claimed, " Oil, no, my dear ! there's no cheating in the matter— you drew the right card ; I'm positive Mr. is in the right. A WIFE'S COMPLAINT. A lady complained of her husband one day, Because he could never give her joy— in her way. A take then advised her, impelled by compassion, To make him a cuckold, as horns were in fashion. She liked the advice, and replied with much ease, " I wish, man, I could, but you may if you please." MORALITY AND DECENCY IN GLASGOW.— There an awfu' lot of decent bodies in Glasgow ; a few weeks since, Captain Wil- son, the police superintendent, found a man in what is called the Corbels ( the Southwark of Glasgow) so barely clothed that he scandalised all who passed him. A crowd of persons followed him to the lock- up, and on the way a woman gave him, for de- cency's sake, a pair of trowsers. The next morning he was brought up, charged with exposing his person ; it was, therefore, necessary to identify him beyond the testimony of Wilson. The woman was callcd, but declined swearing to him. " What!" said the magis- trate, " you were in his company five minutes, and gave him the breeches'." " Yes," answered the woman, " but I had something else to think of besides looking up at his face." The Post, in its fashionable intelligence last week, says, " Sir Edward C is, we are glad to announce, much better, but cannot leave his bed, and it will be some weeks ere he will be ablo to stand." What a painful thing for his young wife. TO MY WATCH. " My watch!— What watch J— 1 have no watch." How sadly I gaze on that tenantless case! Memento of misery, see where it stands! No longer containing that beautiful face, So nicely arranged with its miniature hands. Together we lived, till Fate— oh, I never !— Decreed we must part. ' Twas useless to pout! Her shears cut thy guard, my Geneva, for ever, I took " three fifteen," and you went up the spout! " I gave you all," was the reproach of a husband to bis wife a day or two since. " It was an awl, then, that would not drive in a screw," responded the rib of the discontented. ALBERT SALOON WIT,—" Who do you consider the lightest man in this theatre?" inquired Mrs of Miss Buckous. " Mr. Morton," of course, was the quick reply, " for I hear he is only one stone." Mrs. Foreman said when she heard it, that was the most cutting thing her dear neglected hubby ever had said of him. that they had had no supper, and we could have a very excellent one here, and very cheap, it was settled we should do so. Prior to this, however, we must take some wine; and a bottle of sherry was brought, which consisted of the vilest cape ever vended at eighteen- penee per bottle; it was astonishing the rapidity with which the bottle was emptied, and another, and another brought; as I know something of the wine trade, and observed that each time the bottle was brought there appeared less in it, I took up the decanter and felt convinced that it could not* contain a bottle of wine. We then proceeded to supper; as I shall give the ori- ginal bill below, I may just mention that the two chickens introduced into it, were in such a fearful state of decomposition, that one of them was literally putrified, and they were sent from the table as uneatable; the cabman had a pint of porter and a piece of bread and cheese. We then proceeded to have some Cham- pagne with a few cigars, but, as I saw the bottles were being re- moved, half emptied, by the assiduous waiter, and every body in- vited to drink, I quietly entered in a pocket book a list of every- thing that was brought. After staying two hours and a half, upon asking what was to pay, we received the astounding intel- ligence that it was FIFTEEN POUNDS SIXTEEN ! but, added the waiter, with a smile, " We'll say fifteen guineas, if you please, sir, and then you'll remember the waiter." Expostulation was use- less, and upon calling for a bill we were informed it was not usual to bring a bill to gentlemen; the women then took part in the affair, hinted about us being shabby, and the waiter, in a whin- ing tone, said he had to pay for the things, and the loss would fall upon him. After about three- quarters of an hour's cavilling, the following extraordinary document was brought us :— H's Wine and Supper Booms. Supper Bill. Friday Evening. tree as a publican. All who have ever been in his company mu9t' if only for a few minutes, have noticed the difference in his del meanour to that of other landlords— indeed, we may say with truth, there is not a publican like him in any of the three ad- jaeent parishes. We trust the inhabitants will make common cause with the profession, and mako him a present; showing him their true opinion of his conduct. Those who do know him, need no suggestions; they know what he truly deserves at their hands. £ s. d. Chickens Two 0 9 0 Plate of ham 0 3 6 Plate of beef 0 3 G Lobster and sallad 0 8 6 Plate of fried fish 0 2 6 Cheese 0 2 0 Bread 0 2 0 Champagne 1G bottles .. .. 12 0 0 Sherry 4 bottles 14 0 Stout 3 bottles 0 4 6 Soda and brandy 5 .. .. 0 7 6 Lemonade 3 .. .. .. .. 030 Cigars 0 5 6 Refreshment for Cabman .. .. 016 .£ 15 6 0 LINES WRITTEN ON THE SHUTTER OP THE BA< 3- NIGGE WELLS TAVERN, BY A WANDERING WAQ- Oh ! what would I give if I might return, And sing them the songs as of old; " The Waggoner's Chaunt," and " The Haymaker's Lay," Perhaps it might cure my cold.• That cold which the Garrick folks say is all hum, That each day I'm growing more queer; I wish that that big whisker'd S he was dead, For I can't even now " do my beer." Farewell to thee. Bagnigge, farewell to the spot, Where, as " Jack Rag," I oft took the browns • " The Cadger " must now wander over the town And bear with its scoffs and its frowns. Coves called me a knowing and downey old Fox What a fool then I surely must be, To make for myself the NEGUS too strong, Is a fact that really " licks me.'' THE BALLET GIRL OF THE BRITANNIA SALOON. Thi3 was at the rate of fifteen shillings per bottle for very inferior Champagne, and six for the wretched Cape, besides being charged for twice the amount we had, as I will show below, of everything. To pay such a sum was preposterous; indeed, we had not the money with us; my friends, however, who had been drinking, rather than have a station- house exposure, gave eight sovereigns and left a valuable diamond ring and an overcoat to be redeemed the next day for the difference. On the morrow I, in company with Mr. G. W. L , the solicitor of Elm- court, Temple, waited upon the proprietor, a dark young man, whom I understood to be related to a celebra tedgambling- house keeper; after a little con- versation, in which we pointed out to him the fact that he had been selling brandy, according to his bill, without a licence, and threatening immediately to wait upon the magistrates at Bow- street and explain the whole business, we obtained the ring and coat without, of course, paying another sixpence. Under ordinary circumstances, a poor devil would have had to pay every farthing. I will, in conclusion, give you a list of what we really had, and leaving out of the question the grossly inferior quality of every article, and giving a fair respectable tavern price for the things, see even then the extortion :— That German- Jew- looking- Frenchified- dressing- cockney cos- tumier at the Britannia Saloon, although a married man (?), has, we are informed, within the last few days, had the effrontery to thrust his goat- like- bedizened physiognomy upon Miss Richardson, the ballet girl; now, as the young lady is presumed to be the ex- clusive property of Mr. John Carter, we were not surprised at re- ceiving the following from the dear creature:— You may be very clever, My fancy you don't take; Jack Carter is the boy for me, He is so wide awake. And listens to the acting, Snugly hid behind the door; You may go about your business, For me you must not bore. Yes, Jack he fe my only love, He does the trick for me ; No other cove in this ere place Shall take me on his knee. Rare are the larks we nightly have, So snug behind that door ; We kiss and play, and sometimes, too, We fall upon the floor. Nine bottles Champagne ( 10s. each) .. 4 10 Three ditto sherry ( 5s. each).. .. 0 15 Chickens not used .. .. .. 0 0 Plate of ham i lb 0 1 Plate of beef do 0 1 Lobster and salad 0 4 Two small pieces of fish .. .. 01 Eight cigars 0 2 Three pieces of cheese .. .. .. 00 Two bottles of stout 0 2 Three glasses soda and brandy .. ., 03 Seven pieces of bread .. .. .. 0 0 Three bottles of lemonade .. .. 0 3 Cabman pint of porter and cheese .. 0 0 £ 6 5 d. 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 0 6 8 0 7 0 6 Thus they received one pound fourteen and ninepenco more than the first tavern in London would claim, and demanded seven pound sis more than their due. Yours truly, J. R. G—— N, THE GREAT LOVE MATCH AT THE LAMB, VERE STREET. EXTORTIONATE CHARGES OF NIGHT- HOUSES. MOTHER H.' S. SIR— Having observed the fearless manner in which you ex- posed the proceedings of that vile wretch, Mother Lester, in your first number, allow me to call your attention to another system of abuse existing in the metropolis, equally worthy of your reprobation — I mean the infamous system of charging car- ried on at the night- houses. The following details, illustrative of the method pursued in these dens, have never been given to the public; and as I forward you my name and address, you may de- pend upon the truth of the statement, and make what use you think proper of the particulars— premising that lam prepared to receive any censure you may think proper to bestow upon me for permitting two young friends to enter such a place. A few weeks since, at the close of the first act of the last piece at the Hay- market Theatre, in company with two friends, one, a medical student from Liverpool, in his 22nd year, and the other, the nephew of one of the largest cotton merchants in Manchester, we strolled into the saloon ; here my friends were soon encountered by two fine young women, the one Charlotte Palmer, and the Other called Gipsy Emma; after some conversation my friends • were induced to visit the Piceudilly Saloon. We did not stay here above lialf- an- bour, in consequence of a disturbance ; but as the student was anxious to see a little London life, this being his first visit to the metropolis, and was to leave town the next night, it was settled we should patronise Jessop's. A cab was called, and we proceeded to Catherine- street; passing, however, through Brydges- street, my friends were attracted by the name of H's, and they determined upon entering from having heard so much talk of the p'ace. Ill the window there was a quantity of chops, kid- neys, lobsters, and tried fish, and our female friends observing There is the most intense interest excited at the Lamb, Vere- street, as to who will be the winner of the obese widow, at the Lamb; Jack Weatherhall, the Princes- street Strephon is still the favourite, the odds being seven to four; they having rose to this height in consequence of his having advertised his business for sale. The only objection Mrs. Jefferies has to the " man of saw- dust" is the absence of whiskers; Jack, when told this by Bill Phair, the chaffing hatter, said, " If he was minus hair on his face, he'd fully satisfy her for that in another way." A report was circulated on Saturday, that Little Woodey, the timber merchant, had a country friend whom he intended introducing, and this had a serious effect upon the betting ; it, however, turned out to be untrue, as the Sawyer has ordered another claret- coloured coat with gilt buttons and a white hat, for the wedding; his lady has, in the most condescending manner, consented to visit once more the filthy neighbourhood of Clare- market, and act as bride's- maid; she has, however, made it a most unqualified stipulation that the procession should not pass through Holies- street. We must not forget to mention that Allwin, Shaylor, and Frank the waiter, have been seen in close conversation together, and from remarks dropped from the last individual, who says, " He'll be d— d if he'll have a carpenter for a governor," it is presumed there is some intention of smugging Weatherhall, and thus break- ing oft the match altogether. We have received some verses upon this subject signed John Hawkins ( town residence), Sheffield- street, which we will publish in our next. THE ROUNTREE TESTIMONIAL. There is at the present moment a very considerable dispute amongst the inhabitants of Baker's- row, Mile- end, and some of the Pavilion Theatre company, in consequence of the latter having determined amongst themselves to present the warm- hearted proprietor of the Weaver's Arms with some testimonial of their acknowledgment of his urbanity, general kindness of heart, and attentions to all with whom he lias been associated during the time he has kept that establishment We can per- fectly understand the anxiety of the inhabitants of Baker's- row, to reciprocate their opinion of the general conduct of Mr. Roun- i& ottws to dotrcspontonte. All communications must be forwarded to " the Editor of HB TOWN," 34, Holywell- street. A PROFESSIONAL ( Highbury Barn).— It is a cruel infliction upon the licensed victuallers, that the beer- shop- keeper should be permitted to have music with singing, and charge for admission, whilst the publican cannot even have a piano for his own amusement without risking his license. We have no doubt, however, but the recent meeting, in the City, of the licensed victuallers, will call forth the interference of the legislature. A petition should immediately be got up, and doubtless such men as Duncombe and Wakley would support it. A LOVER OF FUN CBoswell Court) will perceive we have used his information about " the Widder" at the Lamb; send us the verses about " the hat peg." What the blazes do you mean by the " Widder Lynch ?" Jack must indeed be a stunner. A Correspondent, " P. L. M.," says there is a house in Granby- street, Waterloo- road, where the women sit at the door in their chemises on a Saturday night, and play at cards, and that Old Mother B., of the same street, has made a bet of five pounds with the Little Sailor, whose mother keeps the florist's in the Burlington Arcade, that four of her lodgers shall so from the top of the street to the bottom at half- past ten on Saturday the 7th inst. in a state of entire buff. What are the police about, for this will not be the first time this thing has been done. JOSKIN.— Tom Reedie, or " the Colonel'' as he is called, who fought and beat " Driscoll, 1' is a rough ' un, but a good ' un, and a devilish amusing fellow. Give him a glass and a good cigar Tom likes a good cigar— and then ask him to tell you some stories about the " Little Nic," he'll make you laugh a trifle. A SUBSCRIBER TO THE OLD'UN.— Your verses are reyther " blue," but the woman at the Euston Square Station must be bluer if your story is true, and the old man a game ' un, for he is over seventy, and his daughter is married to an hotel- keeper in South- ampton. One would think the back of an engine a warm place for such amusements. G. G. H.— It is very strange that Sawford, who is one of the best actors there, and plays one of the principal parts in the piece, should not have a line of notice,— of course, the article was paid for in meat if not in malt. THE PUNCH TAVERN, Hull.— The proceedings here are indeed of a most disgraceful character, patronised only by the most aban- doned characters in the town ; it is a positive nuisance. We will keep a sharp look out after the young gentleman in King's Bench Walk, Temple : pretty doings on the staircase of the cham- bers. P. J. L- will oblige by giving the name at No. II. KING'S CROSS.— Mr. M., the " Shylock" aspiring youth, is an immense ass; he had better pay his bill to the China- shop- woman before he thinks of donkey- fying himself by asking us to visit Deptford to see him do " Othello." OLD M— ( Temple St., Birmingham).— We are obliged for your good wishes. Charley Cheshire, of the Garrick Tavern, is an eccentric genius, but as good a hearted creature as ever burned tobacco.— His house is the crack one of town— there are numerous stories told of his eccentricities which some day we may perhaps publish. TOM D. ( Kennington.)— We are not aware if Simmons wants to let his house, " The Surrey Coal Hole," write and ask him. He had a share in the Jew's Clothes Exchange, Petticoat- lane, and we think has still. B***, Pimlico.— Any communication you may be pleased to forward to us, shall be attended to. It is a subject we shall be glad to re- ceive information upon. BIRD'S, Kingsland- road, and the Sunday Night's Exhibition, in our next. We have received several communications relative to a private brothel in Charles- place, Charles- street, City- road, and are in- formed that there is a communication from one house to the other; will our correspondents, however, be more definite ? Give us names. OLD MOTHER ALLISON, of Wigmore- street, will form No 2, of " London Procuresses." We shall have some cold- blooded rela- tions to make ; the robbery of the American gentleman at Havre de Grace, and the horrible cutting and maiming of poor Emily G— r, because she refused the advances of a man of colour, arc all known to us, and shall positively be given in our next. M. D. S.— The story about Cabbarn, the law stationer, and his wife, is very old. We will visit the " sine- song" presided over by Mr. Barnes, at the " Crooked Billet," Hoxton Old Town, and report progress in our next. The " Cock and Hen Club " article is adjourned to No. 3. Other correspondents in our next. * Our correspondent was correct: all the decanters at the wine- rooms are manufactured expressly for them. Hie quarts hold when filled, which is never the case, a pint and a gill, and the pint decanters not half. Printed anc'ftpublished for the Proprietors by W. WINN, Holywell- street, Strand, where all communications are to be addressed. To he had of all booksellers.