While martial bands with nodding plumes appear, Here too a Chief the opening ranks display, Mr. Alderman Wood on the first day of his second mayoralty, in 1816, deviated from the usual procession by water, from Westminster-ball to London, and returned attended by the corporation, in their carriages, through Parliament-street, by the way of Charing-cross, along the Strand, Fleet-street, and so up LudgateBill, and through St. Paul's churchyard, to Guildhall whereon lord Sidmouth, as high steward of the city and liberties of Westminster, officially protested against the lord-mayor's deviation," in order, that the same course may not be drawn into precedent, and adopted on any future occasion." During Mr. Alderman Wood's first mayoralty he committed to the house of correction, a working sugar-baker, for having left his employment in consequence of a dispute respecting wages.The prisoner during his confinement not having received personal correction, according to the statute, in consequence of no order to that effect being specified in the warrant of committal, he actually brought an action against the lord-mayor in the court of common pleas, for nonconformity to the law. It was proved that he had not been whipped, and therefore the jury were obliged to give a farthing damages; but the point of law was reserved.* On the 6th of September, 1776, the then lord-mayor of London, was robbed near Turnham-green in his chaise and four, in sight of all his retinue, by a single highwayman, who swore he would shoot • Gentleman's Magazine. A FATHER'S WISHES. TO HIS SON, VINCENT CORBET, Bishop Corbet, a native of Ewell in Surrey, was educated at Westminster school, and Christchurch, Oxford; took the degree of M. A. in 1605, entered into holy orders, became doctor of divinity, • Gentleman's Magazine. + Bp. Corbet's Poems, by Gilchrist. obtained a prebend in the cathedral of Sarum, and other church preferment, and being a man of ready wit, was favoured by king James I., who made him one of his chaplains. In 1618, he took a journey to France, of which he wrote an amusing narrative. In 1627, his majesty gave him the deanery of Christchurch; in 1629, he was raised to the bishopric of Oxford, and in 1632, translated to that of Norwich. He died in 1635. The poems of bishop Corbet are lively and amusing compositions, such as might have been expected from a man of learning and genius, possessed of a superabundance of constitutional hilarity. The latter quality appears to have drawn him into some excesses, not altogether consistent with the gravity of his profession. After he was a doctor of divinity, being at a tavern in Abingdon, a ballad-singer came into the house, complaining that he could not dispose of his stock; the doctor, in a frolic, took off his gown, and assuming the ballad-singer's leather jacket, went out into the street, and drew around him a crowd of admiring purchasers. Perhaps he thought he could divest himself of his sacerdotal character with his habit; for it seems he shut himself up in his well-stored cellar, with his chaplain, Dr. Lushington, and taking off his gown, exclaimed: "There goes the doctor;" then throwing down his episcopal hood," there goes the bishop"-after which the night was devoted to Bacchus. Riding out one day with a Dr. Stubbins, who was extremely fat, the coach was overturned, and both fell into a ditch. The bishop, in giving an account of the accident, observed, that Dr. Stubbins was up to the elbows in mud, and he was up to the elbows in Stubbins. Bishop Corbet was not distinguished as a divine; his sentiments however were liberal, and he inclined to the Arminian party, which then began to prevail in the church of England.* In the bishop's lines "to his son on his birth-day," there is something of the feeling in the wise man's supplication, “Give me neither poverty nor riches." NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. November 11. ST. MARTIN. retained in the church of England calendar and almanacs, are related under the day in last year's volume. NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. November 12. ADMIRAL VERNON'S BIRTH-DAY. To the mention of the pageant "at Chancery-lane end," in honour of admiral Vernon on this day, in the year 1740, may be added some ingenious verses commemorative of Vernon's exploits. They were written in the same year by John Price, a land-waiter in the port of Poole, and are preserved in Mr. Raw's "Suffolk Garland," with the following introduction: ADMIRAL VERNON'S ANSWER TO AD MIRAL HOSIER'S GHOST. In Dr. Percy's "Reliques of Ancient Poetry," vol. ii. p. 376. is an admirable ballad, intituled "Hosier's Ghost," being an address to admiral Vernon, in PortoBello harbour, by Mr. Glover, the author of Leonidas. The case of Hosier was briefly this: In April, 1726, he was sent with a strong fleet to the Spanish West Indies, to block up the galleons in the ports of that country; but being restricted by his orders from obeying the dictates of his courage, he lay inactive on that station, until he became the jest of the Spaniards. He afterwards removed to Carthagena, and continued cruizing in those seas, till far the greater part of his crews perished by the diseases of that unhealthy climate. This brave man, seeing his officers and men thus daily swept away, his ships exposed to inevitable destruction, and himself made the sport of the enemy, is said to have died of a broken heart. The ballad concludes "O'er these waves, for ever mourning, When your patriot friends you see, And for England-sham'd in me." In 1739, vice-admiral Vernon was appointed commander-in-chief of a squadron In vol, i. col. 1478. then fitting out for destroying the settlements of the Spaniards in the West Indies; and, weighing anchor from Spithead on the 23d of July, arrived in sight of PortoBello, with six ships only, under his command, on the 20th of November following. The next day he commenced the attack of that town; when, after a most furious engagement on both sides, it was taken on the 22d, together with a considerable number of cannon, mortars, and ammunition, and also two Spanish ships of war. He then blew up the fortifications, and evacuated the place for want of land forces sufficient to retain it; but first distributed ten thousand dollars, which had been sent to Porto-Bello for paying the Spanish troops, among the forces for their bravery. The two houses of parliament joined in an address of congratulation upon this success of his majesty's arms; and the nation, in general, was wonderfully elated by an exploit, which was certainly magnified much above its intrinsic merit. Hosier! with indignant sorrow, I have heard thy mournful tale Hence our warlike fleet shall sail. For our country's wrongs and thine. All my thoughts were full of thee. Fierce thy image glar'd on high, My lov'd sailors work'd their way. Carthagena, tow'ring wonder! Still rememb'ring thy sad story, War shall be my constant care: And I ne'er will cease pursuing Spain's proud sons from sea to sea, And for England sham'd in thee. As we are to-day on a naval topic, it' seems fitting to introduce a popular usage among sailors, in the words of captain Edward Hall, R. N., who communicated the particulars to Dr. Forster, on the 30th of October, 1823. CROSSING THE Line. tom of shaving at the tub by Neptune, as The following is an account of the cusEquator, Tropics, and Europa Point. practised on board vessels crossing the ancient, and it is commonly followed on The origin of it is supposed to be very board foreign, as well as British ships. the places, it may have arisen at the time Europa Point at Gibraltar being one of when that was considered the western boundary of Terra Firma. On the departure of a vessel from England by either of the aforesaid routes, much ingenuity is exerted by the old seamen and their confederates to discover the uninitiated, and it is seldom that any escape detection. A few days previous to arriving at the scene of action, much mystery and reserve is observed among the ship's company: they are then secretly collecting stale soapsuds, water, &c., arranging the dramatis personæ, and preparing material. At this time, also, the novices, who are aware of what is going forward, send their forfeits to the captain of the forecastle, who acts as Neptune's deputy; the forfeit is either a bottle of rum, or a dollar: and I never knew it refused, except from a cook's mate who had acted negligently, and from a steward's mate who was inclined to trick the people when serving provisions. On board of a man-of-war it is generally performed on a grand scale. I have witnessed it several times, but the best executed was on board a ship of the line of which I was lieutenant, bound to the West Indies. On crossing the Tropic, a voice, as if at a distance, and from the surface of the water, cried "Ho, the ship ahoy! I shall come on board:" this was from a person slung over the bows, near the water, speaking through his hands. Presently two men of large stature came over the bows; they had hideous masks on: one personated Neptune-he was naked 1 1395 to his middle, crowned with the head of a 1396 board across each, were ranged around the * Perennial Calendar. A SEA-PIECE-IN THREE SONNETS Scene-Bridlington Quay. At night-fall, walking on the cliff-crowned shore, Sails reef'd, helm lash'd, a dreadful siege she bore, Whi e every moment she might be no more, Forward and rearward still she plunged and rose, After an The morn was beautiful, the storm gone by; There fix'd as if for ever to abide : Far down the beach had roll'd the low neap-tide, Spring-tides return'd, and fortune smiled; the bay THE "BRIDEWELL BOYS," AND BARTHOLOMEW AND SOUTHWARK FAIRS. On the 13th of November, 1755, at a court of the governors of Bridewell hospital, a memorable report was made from the committee, who inquired into the behaviour of the boys at Bartholomew and Southwark fairs, when some of them were severely corrected and continued, and others, after their punishment, were ordered to be stripped of the hospital clothing and discharged.* The bridewell-boys" were, within recollection, a body of youths distinguished by a particular dress, and turbulence of manners. They infested the streets to the terror of the peaceable, and being See vol. 1. col. 1473, › Gentleman's Magazine. Montgomery. |