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SPECIMENS OF A DIARY.

IT Ir may be safely averred, that there is no man so insignificant in mental capacity, as to be incapable of furnishing both information and amusement, by a diary of what he merely observes and hears. The truth of this remark, I have found strongly confirmed by some fragments of a manuscript book which came into my hands the other day, among a parcel of old books, book covers, and stray leaves, purchased at one of those repositories, where it is part of the craft of dealing, not to tell how they come by what they sell. It appears to have been a diary of remarkable occurrences, kept by some resident of the metropolis about fifty years ago. But few of the leaves remain, and from none of these can the name of the writer be discovered. It may be gathered from the cast of his observations, that he was of the class of citizens; and a shrewd and well-informed one. He records nothing, perhaps, which might not have been recorded by any body else; yet, scanty as the relics of his labours are, they contain many things that are new, (to the present writer at least) and form, altogether, a very entertaining sort of miscellany. The following specimens include all that has escaped the hand of spoliation, except some beginnings and endings of mutilated passages, which would be unintelligible to the reader.

1771, June 27. Went to see the Maid of Bath performed for the first time, at the Haymarket theatre. Saw there lord Lyttleton, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Doctor Johnson, Garrick,. and Goldsmith. In that part of the play, where the friends of old Sir Solomon Flint are endeavouring to disabuse him of his passion for the heroine, and warning him of the expences that will attend his wedding, "you must have," says Billy Button, (who, by-the-bye, is intended to represent a Mr. Gtaylor, at Bath,) "new liveries, and a new wardrobe, if you go with your bride to London; for every body there judges of people according to their appearance." "Aye! Aye!" replies Sir Solomon," I don't mind that: I can have a wardrobe at a very reasonable rate; for you must know, the parson who is come down here to marry us, is a great patriot, a profound politician; he was some time ago a fine gentleman; but having met with some misfortunes at Paris, was obliged to leave several laced suits of cloaths in pawn, at that metropolis, which he has promised to let me have upon the most moderate terms. So that I shall make a figure very cheaply with the parson's finery."

This smart allusion to parson Horne, and his Parisian follies, was so well taken by the audience, that after several loud bursts of applause, they would not suffer the piece to go on 'till the passage was repeated.

* Afterwards better known by the name of John Horne Tooke.

June 29.-Never did candidates bribe so high as the present candidates for the shrievalty,-for by Mr. Oliver and colleagues, we are promised a reduction of the price of provisions; by Mr. Wilkes, the preservation of our liberties; and by Mr. Kirkman and Co. a great and glorious restoration to our senses, of which, that gentleman insinuates, we have for sometime taken leave. Time will shew whether eating, bawling, or court serving, be the order of the day.

More bets are depending on the event of the present poll for sheriffs, than were ever known on any former occasion.

The Rev. Dr. Wilson being on the hustings, the other day, and discoursing very familiarly with Mr. Wilkes, a common-councilman took the doctor aside, and asked him, how he could possibly countenance a man of Mr. Wilkes's libertine principles? The doctor instantly replied, "Sir, there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety-and-nine just persons who need no repentance."

A general consternation prevails at the west end of the town. The great folks appear to be afraid that Mr. Wilkes has some deep scheme in his head, by wishing so ardently for the office of sheriff. It seems as if they were afraid he should, in his turn, issue a general warrant, and take them all up. Messrs. Wilkes and Bull elected.

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1771, July. The lord mayor, aldermen, &c. went to St. James's, to present their new address, remonstrance, and petition to the king. One of the noblemen in attendance asked one of the aldermen, what the citizens meant by their present visit? The alderman answered, "To open the king's eyes, and let him see who are his enemies." "Why then," replied the lord, "have you left Mr. Wilkes behind you?"

A person having expressed to Mr. Wilkes some surprise at his resolution not to accompany the deputation; "I wonder, sir," said Mr. Wilkes, " you can desire me to do such a thing; you who, know, that it has been ever the rule of my life to give his majesty no offence."

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July 26.-Went to Windsor, and was much delighted with witnessing the grand installation of knights of the garter. The knights installed were the prince of Wales, the bishop of Osnaburgh, the duke of Cumberland, the duke of Mecklenburgh and the prince of Brunswick (by proxies), the duke of Marlborough, duke of Grafton, earl of Albemarle, and earl Gower. The prince and his brother were not required to take the oaths, on account of their tender age; they are two noble looking youths. After the dinner came the scramble; but in

a style somewhat different from the old use and wont. The lord steward thought it a better plan of economy, to carry the victuals to the mob, than to let the mob come to the victuals. Accordingly, the windows of the castle were thrown open, and the provisions tossed out to the gaping crowd below. A cloud of hams, chickens, pasties, haunches and delicacies, of every kind, with knives, forks, plates, table cloths, and napkins, darkened the air. This was succeeded by showers of liquor, some conveyed in bottles properly corked; but the greater part in rain. The scramble was more diverting than any other part of the preceding farce. You would see one stooping for a fowl, and a great ham falling plump upon his back, another having a fork stuck in his shoulder, and looking up to secure himself from more arrows thus flying by day, receiving a creamed apple-pye full in his face. A beef-eater having lost his cap in the scuffle, had his loss repaired by a venison-pasty falling inverted upon his head. A bargeman, who had just secured a noble haunch of venison, was retiring as fast as he could with his booty, and ran with it full against the back of lord and made an impression on it so like a gridiron, that all the mob, when they had ceased laughing, cried out, "smoke the merry andrew."

After funning, too often comes mischief. The Middlesex hargemen, it seems, had vowed to be revenged on the Irish chairmen, for their sanguinary behaviour on the day of sir William Beauchamp Proctor's standing the poll for Middlesex; and they took this occasion of carrying their design into execution. The scramble had no sooner ended, than a dreadful battle ensued between the two parties. The Irishmen repulsed two severe and desparate attacks from the bargemen; but the latter, rallying a third time with additional forces, and additional courage, got the better of the chairmen, several of whom were left dead on the spot.

July 27.-Sir John Murray, late secretary to the Pretender, was, on Thursday night, carried off by a party of strange men, from a house in Denmark-street, near St. Giles's Church, where he has lived some time.

The following explanation of this curious affair appears in a paper of this morning:

SIR, Friday, 4 o'Clock. "As your profession renders you the innocent instrument of imposing upon the world the guilty falsehoods of anonymous writers, it will do you credit and me justice, to open the eyes of your readers, whose judgements are misled by a malicious representation of the supposed enlèvement of sir John Murray. The tender bonds of filial affection, joined to a

friendly sympathy, are coercive motives to induce me to take every step that might prevent an insane parent from exposing himself to the people, in a state which renders him as ridiculous and contemptible, as his former conduct has made him criminal before them. To this effect, every delicate and legal step was taken; nor would the most distant knowledge of his unhappy situation have transpired, but from the malevolence

your anonymous authors, who are influenced to propagate their infamous falsehoods, from being withheld in the execution of their several projects, of imposing upon his weakness, and preying upon his substance, of which they and their coadjutors have already experienced the douceurs.

"Let your readers therefore know, that a peace-officer, his two sons, and two servants, (neither ruffians nor bravoes) unarmed, and without violence, attended him, and prevailed upon him to leave a house, where the meanest mechanics of different denominations gratified their curiosity, and boasted of interviews with mad secretary Murray; the neigbourhood of which house, the very day he removed, were spectators of his insanity in the streets; that they neither rushed into, but were peaceably admitted into his apartment, nor bound, nor put a strait waistcoat upon, nor extorted a cry from him; that the neighbourhood were neither alarmed nor apprised of the affair, 'till some time after the coach left it; nor would have been so, but through the means of his late landlady: that he was, with every mark of tenderness and respect, conveyed to, and placed under the care of Dr. Battie; and give them, if you please, for authority, the name of

"Your humble servant,

"ROBERT MURRAY."*

July 29.-Died at Llangollen, Denbighshire, Owen Tudor, esq. aged 121; a descendant from Henry, the seventh duke of Richmond. He served the office of high sheriff for that county, in the year 1770. He enjoyed so good a state of health, that it is not remembered that he had a day's illness for these fifty years past, and was very hearty 'till within three days of his death.

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August 15.-Much talk of a proposition, which one of the ministers is said to have made to the king, to assemble the parliament next winter, at Oxford, should there be any likelihood of a repetition of the late popular disturbances. His

* An actor of some celebrity; the father of Mrs. Henry Siddons, and of Mr. Murray, the present manager of the Edinburgh theatre.

majesty was very angry with the author of this advice, and replied warmly, "that a rabble should never drive him from the metropolis of his kingdom."

August.-Married at Isleworth, the king of the gypsies' daughter to a second husband. The princess is about twentytwo years of age, and her spouse about seventeen. About twenty couple walked from the Bell to the church, and returned in the like manner to the same place, after the ceremony was performed; only as they went, the women leaned on the men, but on their return back, the men leaned on the women. The dinner was served under the four elms on Hounslow Heath, and forty gypsies sat down together. There was plenty of all kinds of provisions, fowls not excepted, and the best sorts of liquors. When they had done, the bye-standers, to the number of some hundreds, regaled themselves with what was left. The bridegroom's pockets were well lined with gold, and the bride's father declared he would give this scion of his royal house, a thousand pounds for her dowry.

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September. The papers say, that Mr. Wilkes is at present studiously engaged in the perusal of all the law books, relative to the office of sheriff, in order to enable him and his colleague" to execute that office with spirit and safety." That is, in plainer English, that they may kick up a dust with as much security to themselves as possible.

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September.-A ship, arrived from Davis's Straits this season, brings advice that she sailed so far up the Pole, that the magnetic compass had no power; and that she then came to an open broad calm sea, where there was not the least appearance of ice or land.

September 14.-A few weeks since, the papers assured us "that the East India trade, which formerly carried a million sterling, in specie, from this kingdom annually, now brings us in nearly three, and is the great means which has prevented our bankruptcy as a people"!!! Most honest chroniclers! From a state of the company's affairs, published this morning, it appears that they have to pay this year £2,756,000, and to receive £1,894,000. The company therefore must be short

£862,000.

October 7.-The state of the poll for the election of lord mayor, declared by the sheriffs. Alderman Nash elected by a large majority. While casting up the poll, the following letter was handed up to sheriff Wilkes; it was passed about, and caused much mirth.

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