History, Biographical Traits, Etc. tr.

EPITOME OF BRIGHTON.

(Continued from page 275.)

DORSET-GARDENS.-Branching northward from St. James'sstreet, are Dorset-gardens, consisting of an uniform range of lodging houses, with an enclosed garden, green-plat and gravel walks in front, between which and the former, is a good carriage road, and a well-laid pavement of Portland stone. This situation is much and deservedly admired. The north entrance into Dorsetgardens is from Edward-street; and into which street, nearly the whole of those from St. James's-street, also terminate.

To the north of Edward-street, upon the rise of the down, are Patriot-place, Carlton-street, and various other places and buildings of agreeable import.

LODGING HOUSES. The houses in Brighthelmston, as is common at watering places, are usually let by the week or month, agreeably to the wish and stay of the visiting applicants, and the prices vary according to the season in which they are engaged; as for instance, buildings that command from five to fifteen guineas per week, during the months of June, July, August, September, and October, may be had for considerably less than a moiety of those prices at almost any other period of the year.

PRIVATE FASHIONABLE RESIDENCES.-There are various families of opulence and rank, who contribute much to the interests of this town, by passing a considerable portion of the year here, and who have elegant residences of their own; among which number are the Earl of Egremont, before noticed, Mrs. Fitzherbert.

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Robert Burnett, Esq. T. R. Kemp. Esq. &c. and buildings of such a private description, have, of late years, been much on the in

crease.

The seat of T. R. Kemp, Esq. occupying an eminence to the west, is often a subject of admiration for its construction and beauty of situation.

ARTILLERY-PLACE AND BATTERY.-To the west of Russell-street is Artillery-place, with a battery of six pieces of cannon in front of it. Attached to the Gunner's house, is a military guardhouse, with a secure magazine at the back of it. The lodginghouses here are remarkably neat, and very seldom without fashionable occupants, even during the winter months of the year. KING'S-ROAD. The houses on the King's-road generally consist of elegant residences and excellently constructed lodginghouses, Bedford-square, Regency-square, Belle-vue, Paragon Houses, West-field Lodge, Cannon-place, Queensbury-place, Western-place, Preston-street, St. George's-place, &c. being all in this neighbourhood and Grenville-place, Clarence-place, &c. almost overlook the whole of them, from the distance and gradual rise of the ground on which they are situated northward.

LATEST IMPROVEMENTS.-The houses to the east of the Steyne, the west of West-street, and to the north of North-street, with but very few exceptions, are of recent origin; and great alterations and additions have taken place in the central situations of the town also, of late years. The last improvements, northward, are very extensive, and there are others yet in more extensive preparation, to add to its importance and value. To the west, Regency-square is not yet completed-the uniform elegance of its buildings cannot be viewed without a feeling of admiration, and often, not without a desire of becoming an occupant of the place.

LITERATURE.-The desirable number of Academies and Schools to be found in this place, is a pleasing proof, that, in the midst of its gaieties and pleasures, literature is not neglected. We forbear the detail, from a motive precisely similar to that which we have expressed respecting the Boarding-houses, as particulars may easily be gained, by an application to the Libraries or Postoffice. We shall, therefore, briefly observe, that at these establishments, generally speaking, qualified' masters are to be met with to instruct the pupils in the several branches of the useful and polite arts; and, it is pleasant to add, that an encouragement, severally, is bestowed, such as the unquestioned abilities, attention, and tenderness, in the proprietors, well deserve and as private tuition is often preferred by families, for children, during their uncertain sojourns here, qualified masters are to be found, who devote their time to that mode of conveying instruction also.

Post Office. The Post Office, In this town, is situated in East

The

street, under the careful management of Mr. Redifer. mail, for London, is dispatched every night, Saturday excepted, and another arrives every morning from the metropolis, with the exception of Monday. Letters are received here until nine o'clock every night, the box until then being open; but after that time, one penny is paid for every letter delivered between nine and half-past nine o'clock, and from half-past nine until ten sixpence. The mail is sealed and sent off every night, with the above exception, precisely at ten o'clock. The mail from London arrives here about five o'clock in the morning, and the letters, sufficent time being allowed for their sorting, are distributed without delay. Those who wish to have their letters at an hour earlier than the routine of business at the office can, in its own arrangements, command, may be so accommodated by sending their servants for such letters in the morning early, and prior to their being given out for correct and general distribution.

ADVENTURES OF A BEGGAR.

"He, not unmindful of his usual art,

Seeks every shape that magic can impart."

With whatever degree of astonishment the inhabitants of Covent Garden may view the miraculous transfigurations of Harlequin in a Christmas pantomine, I, for my part have long since mellowed down the loud horse-laugh into a sober smile. Not that I wish my readers to entertain any lofty ideas of my superior gravity, or to imagine that any thing, however wonderful or ridiculous, is incapable of discomposing the dignified arrangement of Solomon Gildrig's muscles. Nor indeed am I desirous that they should conceive me able to scrutinize into all the mysterious devices of raising a blue devil, changing a turtle into an alderman, or a pincushion into an old maid. On the contrary, I am by nature inclined to sympathize with Pantaloon in all his misfortunes, and to laugh heartily at the clown's grimaces.

But as novelty is generally the principal ingredient in such entertainments, when that is withdrawn, of course they become insipid and uninteresting; and, to a person of common observation, what novelty can a pantomine afford, when, however ludicrous its delusions, however various its characters, we find the original in every part of England! As my less sagacious readers may perhaps be unable to discover my meaning, it may be necessary to let them know that I allude to a race of mortals, who, under divers shapes, solicit public charity, by the affecting appeal of "A half-penny your honour !—please to remember a poor old man! "&c &c.

These gentry, like cameleons, vary their colour every minute, and though they manage to acquire a more substantial beverage than air, yet, like those animals, they continually stand in one situation, and take in all the flies that may chance to come within their reach. They look upon themselves as a more dignified race of actors; and as they are at the daily expence and trouble of entertaining the public by their inventions, think, no doubt. with some appearance of justice, that their meritorious exertions ought to be rewarded by no trifling compensation. Indeed their performance is far superior to the modern style of acting, and is carried on with true classical purity. Thus, in strict conformity with the rules of the ancient tragedy in the days of Thespis, they seldom allow more then one actor to appear upon the stage at once, who is sometimes accompanied by a chorus of children, enveloped in rags and dirt, pouring forth lamentations with Doric simplicity. I have known some of their prime actors who could surpass even Kemble in a tragedy groan, and by whose superior dignity and expression, the young Roscius himself, that star of the first magnitude in the hemisphere of Covent Garden, would be eclipsed.

Nor is it to the more peaceful employment of feigning unheard-of misfortunes, bewailing the loss of what they never enjoyed, or inventing terrible adventures, that they universally confine their talents. On the contrary, still having in view the progressive improvement of the Greek tragedy, they sometimes introduce a plurality of actors; when, for instance, under the characters of ring-droppers, they trepan some unfortunate rustic into a public-house, make him half-drunk as a proof of their honesty, then knock him down, rifle his pockets, cut his throat, and escape through the window. This, however, and many other tragedies of a similar nature, are generally used to divert the tediousness of a winter's evening whereas the tragi-comedians are always confined to the day time.

Not long since I was accosted in the street by a venerable old man, apparently bending under a weight of years and accumulated miseries, whose hoary locks, encircling a countenance moistened with tears, gave so melancholy and touching an ap

pearance to his whole figure, that, before he could speak, I had already put my hand into my pocket, with a full intention of relieving his necessities to the utmost of my power. "For the love of God," cried he, in broken English," have compassion upon a poor stranger whoHe was proceeding, when I threw a piece of gold into his hat, and turned away, followed by every blessing that gratitude could bestow.

Not many weeks after this incident, curiosty led me into the court at the Old Bailey. Among the prisoners at the bar, I observed a man apparently about forty years of age, who stood with an air of undaunted resolution, while the Recorder was passing sentence of transportation upon him. His appearance attracted my notice, and I had a faint idea that his features were not altogether unknown to me. As he passed out of the court, I, looked stedfastly upon him; his eye caught mine; he started back; and the expression of his countenance recalled to my recollection the old man whom I have mentioned. My curiosity being awakened by this idea, I went next day to the prison appointed for the reception of the condemned, and after some little trouble gained admission to the prisoner. He seemed astonished at my appearance. I asked him whether he had not onee imposed upon my credulity under the disguise of an old man. He burst into a loud fit of laughter; and confessed that he had imposed upon so many under different characters, that although he could not recollect that particular circumstance, yet it was far from being improbable.

I had often heard of the curious adventures which this sort of men undergo, and the various stratagems to which they have recourse, in order to extort charity from the more credulous part of their fellow-creatures. Thinking therefore, that my condemned friend was not likely to be troubled with any qualms of conscience, or fears of detection, as the extent of his honesty had already been sufficiently proved, I begged of him to favour me with an account of his adventures, since he had first entered into the world. Without any further preamble, he immediately began in the following words :

"My father was an honest labourer, whose sole possessions consisted of a small cottage, and an acre of land on the banks of the Tweed, and a wife and two children, of whom I am the eldest. My mother, who was a notable, industrious sort of a woman, had managed to scrape together a little money by washing, which she laid out by having us taught to read and write at a day school, in a little village not far from our abode. Here I first shewed that inclination to idleness and play that has brought me into this situation; for while my brother was continually improving himself, I played the truant, and spent my time in sauntering about the country with some of my idle school-fellows. In this manner I passed my childish years. When I was about