construction of his chimnies necessarily dooms unborn infants to the certain fate of having the flesh torn from their joints Defore they can sweep such chimnies. The scandalous default of a surveyor has subjected the duke of York to the odium of being quoted as an authority in opposition to a society for abolishing a cruel and useless trade, wherein servitude is misery, and independence cannot be attained but by the continual infliction of blows and torture on helpless children. Yet as an act of parliament abated the frequency of conflagrations, by empowering district surveyors to cause the erection of party walls, so a few clauses added to the building act would authorize the surveyors to enforce the building of future chimnies without "cores," and of a form to be swept by the "Scandiscope." Master chimney-sweepers would have no reason to complain of such enactment, inasmuch as they would continue to find employment, till the old chimnies and the prejudices in favour of cruelty to children, disappeared by effluxion of time. The engraving at the head of this article is altered from a lithographic print representing a "Scandiscope." Perhaps the machine may be better understood from the annexed diagram. It simply consists of a whalebone brush, and wooden cylinders strung on rope, and put into action by the method described beneath the larger engraving. Mr. George Smart obtained two gold medals from the Society of Arts for this invention. The names of the machine chimney-sweepers in different parts of London may be obtained from Mr. Wilt, secretary of the "Society for superseding Climbing Boys," No. 125, Leadenhallstreet; the treasurer of the institution is W. Tooke, esq., F. R. S. Any person may become a member, and acquaint himself chine is adopted to almost any chimney. with the easy methods by which the maAs the climbing chimney-sweepers are combining to oppose it, all humane individuals will feel it a duty to inquire whether they should continue willing instru ments in the hands of the "profession for the extension of the present cruel practice. And is all pity for the poor sweeps fled, On May's sweet morn would doubly cheer his heart! His shoeless feet, now boasted pumps—and new. But, she is gone! none left to soothe their grief, It is the interest of the "United Society of Master Chimney Sweepers" to appear liberal to the wretched beings who are the creatures of their mercy; of the variation and degrees of that mercy, there is evidence before the committee of the house of commons. Sympathy for the oppressed in the breast of their oppressors is reasonably to be suspected. On the minutes of the Society for superseding Climbing Boys," there are cases that make humanity shudder; against their recurrence there is no security but the general adoption of machines in chimnies-instead of children. Mr.Montgomery's "Chimney Sweeper's Friend, and Climbing Boys' Album," is a volume of affecting appeal,dedicated to the king," in honour of his majesty's condescending and exemplary concern for the effectual deliverance of the meanest, the poorest, and weakest of British born subjects, from unnatural, unnecessary, and unjustifiable personal slavery and moral degradation." It contains a variety of beautiful compositions in prose and verse: one of them is THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER. Communicated by Mr. Charles Lamb, from a very rare and curious little work, When my mother died I was very young, There's little Tom Toddy, who cried when his head, And so he was quiet, and that very night As Tom was a sleeping, he had such a sight, That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack, And by came an angel, who had a bright key, Then naked and white, all their bags left behind, And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark, Dining with Duke Humphrey, MAY DAY HONOURS TO HIM. In old St. Paul's cathedral " within a proper chappel purposely made for him," and in a proper tomb, sir John Beau duke Humfrey, the good duke of Gloucester, who lyeth honourably buried at Saint Albans in Hartfordshire, twenty miles from London; in idle and frivolous opinion of whom, some men, of late times, have made a solemne meeting at his tombe upon Saint Andrewe's day in the morning (before Christmasse) and conIcluded on a breakfast or dinner, as assuring themselves to be servants, and to hold diversity of offices under the good duke Humfrey." Stow's continuator says, "Likewise, on May-day, tankard bearers, watermen, and some other of like quality beside, would use to come to the same tombe early in the morning, and, according as the other, deliver serviceable presentation at the same monument, by strewing herbes, and sprinkling faire water on it, as in the duty of servants, and according to their degrees and charges in office but (as Master Stow hath discreetly advised such as are so merrily disposed, or simply profess themselves to serve duke Humfrey in Pauls) if punishment of losing their dinners daily, there, be not sufficient for them, they should be sent to St. Albans, to answer there for their disobedience, and long absence from their so highly well deserving lord and master, as in their merry disposition they please so to call him." There can be no doubt that this mock solemnity on May-day, and the feast of St. Andrew, on pretence of attending a festival in Paul's, on the invitation of a dead nobleman in another place, gave rise to the saying concerning "dining with duke Humfrey." It is still used respecting persons who inquire "where shall I dine?" or who have lost, or are afraid of "losing their dinners." PRINTERS' MAY FESTIVAL The following particulars of a very curious celebration is remarkable, as being a description of the old mode of festivous enjoyment, "according to order," and the wearing of garlands by the stewards, with "whifflers" in the procession.* It is extracted from Randle Holme's "Storehouse of Armory, 1688." Stationers' Hall May Feast. The Printers, Journeymen, with the Founders and Ink-makers have every *Whiers, see vol. i. p. 1444, note, and 1488. year a general Feast, which is kept in the Stationers Hall on or about May Day. It is made by 4 Stewards, 2 Masters, and 2 Journeymen; and with the Collection of half a Crown a piece of every Guest, the charges of the whole Feast is defrayed. About 10 of the Clock in the Morning on the Feast day, the Company invited meet at the place appointed, and from thence go to some Church thereabouts in this following Order. First, 4 Whifflers (as Servitures) by two and two, walking before with white Staves in their Hands, and red and blew Ribbons hung Beltwise upon their Shoulders: these make way for the Company. Then walks the Beadle of the Company of Stationers, with the Companies Staff in his Hand, and Ribbons as afore. Then the Minister, whom the Stewards have engaged to Preach the Sermon, and his Reader or Clerk. Then the Stewards walk, by two and two, with long white wands in their Hands, and all the rest of the Company follow in like order, till they enter the Church, &c. Service ended, and a Sermon suitable for the occasion finished, they all return to their Hall in the same order, where upon their entrance each Guest delivers his Ticket to a Person appointed, which gives him admittance; where every one Feasts himself with what he likes best, being delighted all the while with Musicks and Songs, &c. After Dinner the Ceremony of Electing new Stewards for the next Year begins: then the Stewards withdraw into another Room, and put Garlands of Laurel or Box on their Heads, and white wands in their Hands, and are Ushered out of the withdrawing Room thus ; First, the Companies Beadle with his Staff in his Hand, and Musick sounding before him; Bowl of White wine and Sugar in his Then one of the Whifflers with a great right Hand, and his Staff in the left: after him follows the eldest Steward. before the second Steward; in like manThen another Whiffler as aforesaid, ner another Whiffler before the third; and another before the fourth Steward. And thus they walk, with Musick sounding before them, three times round the Hall; and, in the fourth round, the first Steward takes the Bowl from his Whiffler, and Drinks to one (whom before he resolved on) by the Title of Mr Steward Elect; and taking the Garland off his own Head, puts it on the Steward Elect's Head, at which all the Company clap their Hands in token of Joy. Then the present Steward takes out the Steward elect, and Walks with him, hand in hand, (giving him the right Hand,) behind the three other Stewards, another round the Hall; and in the next round as aforesaid, the second Steward drinks to another with the same Ceremony as the first did; and so the third, and so the fourth. And then all walk one round more, hand in hand, about the Hall, that the Company may take Notice of the Stewards Elect: and so ends the Ceremony of the Day. They are both represented in an engraving published by the late Mr. Natha niel Smith, of Great May's buildings, from whence the preceding views are copied for the purpose of more especially marking the discovery of the old tower on this festival day. Opera Arm Chairs. A rare tract, connected with the history of the opera in England, records a jeu d'esprit, which, together with the tract, are attributed to the author of the "Pursuits of Literature:" it will be seen to relate to the present day from the following extracts from the pamphlet. THE EDITOR ΤΟ THE READER. May 5, 1800, Piu non si turbi all' anima Aria; Gli Zingari in Fiera. A. 2. THE following poetical Composition appeared in the Morning Herald of May 1, 1800; and it is reprinted at the very particular request of several persons, votaries of the Opera, Fashion, Wit, and Poetry, who were desirous that it should be preserved in a less perishable form than that of a Newspaper. The occasion of THE ARM-CHAIRS being placed in the Pit at the Opera House was this. Before the opening of the Opera House this season, it was generally understood, that HIS MAJESTY had graciously signified to Lord Salisbury his concern, that any of the Subscribers should be deprived of their Boxes on the nights when His MAJESTY honoured the Theatre with his presence. This being communicated to Mr. Taylor, he observed that the ROYAL objection might easily be obviated, by detaching the last Row from the Pit, on these occasions, for the reception of the Subscribers. This was done accordingly, and a Row of ARM-CHAIRS, with Locks and Keys to the bottoms of them, were placed there, which on every other night were to be free for general accommodation. But about two months after, the Arm-Chairs were removed, and a long bench was substituted. On this great event, the Editor has no Intercepted Letters to lay before the public by authority, and therefore he has not applied to Mr. Canning for a Preface, nor for Notes to Mr. Gifford. There is no Egyptian Fast to be solemnized, nor Festival to be celebrated. He can assure them also, that neither the Mustapha Raschid Effendi and Mustapha Ressichi Effendi for the Grand Vizir; nor General Dessaix and Citizen Poussielgue for General Kleber, were Commissioners on signing this Convention. But THE EVACUATION OF THE ARM-ED CHAIRS was effected without bloodshed or loss on either side, by LORD GALLOWAY and Mr. BELL, Commissioners on the part of the Amateurs and Conoscenti, and by Signor conceiving, rather hastily, that this measure was intended as a personal slight to himself, retired disconcerted, without taking his seat; and, as he is a votary of the Muses, penned the following Lamentation, which he sent to Lord Salisbury the next day, and recovered his wonted good humour, cheerfulness, and gayety. PANDOLFO ATTONITO! OR, LORD GALLOWAY's POETICAL LAMENTATION ON THE REMOVAL OF THE ARM-CHAIRS FROM THE LORENZO DA PONTE, Poet to the Opera PIT AT THE OPERA HOUSE! House, and Mr. SOLOMON, Leader of the Band, Commissioners on the part of General Taylor and the Dramatic Field Marshal THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY. The Arm-ed Chairs were surrendered three days after the signing of the Capitulation, without the intervention of any gallant Knight from Sweden or from Malta. WHAT!-the proud honours of the chair And sighing quit the scene. The fall of seats (c) and stocks; Who stepp'd beyond her place: (a)" Our Midas sits Lord Chancellor of Dunciad. Plays." very conversant in the Stocks and Funds, (b) Mr. BELL, an ingenious Gentleman, Grand Amateur, and Connoisseur of the Lower Bench. (c) It is feared that the Noble Lord alludes to the value of seats in a certain House, after the Union.. EDITOR. (d) The bottoms of these lamented Chairs were kept under lock and key. (e) i. e. As loud as the very Gipsies themselves on the Stage at the Fair. This is poetry, but no fiction. EDITOR. |