was that the great preacher retired unceremoniously, while his deacons expelled Mr. P. from the premises by force. operation my advent had interrupted that, namely, of lacing his boots! The meeting was certainly a select one, as I found I only made number four. Besides Of Mr. Spurgeon, our author has much Mr. Peacock himself, there was an old to tell that is really new to the world at infirm woman occupying a cosy chair in large. "The Tabernacle" is, it seems, the corner, and she was introduced to me by no means the mere "preaching-shop as Mrs. Peacock. She was, I fancy, the it is generally supposed to be; "it is a proprietor's mother; and I afterwards perfect hive of busy workers from sevdiscovered she was a sort of Elisha to en every morning until night. The the deceased Joanna, at least upon her rooms behind and under the vast edifice own showing. I've been in the battle are appropriated to the use of the pastor's fifty year, since Joanna died,' she said: college, where young men are trained for I'm an old campaigner, sir.' A simple the ministry without expense." In one man, well advanced in years too, with room which our daring commissioner spectacles on nose, was reading from the explores, he discovers twenty young Sealed Prophecies of Joanna, a remark- ladies at a Bible-class; and in another, able combination of prose and verse," thirty or forty young men celebrating which gave one rather the idea of alter- the Lord's Supper." In the spacious Late pages taken from the prophecies of rooms below, tables were being laid for Ezekiel and the History of John Gilpin." sixteen hundred for tea! Mr. Spurgeon, At the first convenient opportunity as he himself confessed, is a sort of Pope cur commissioners put the question on over all these people, and though without which, as it seemed to him, the faith of claiming infallibility, he has probably the followers of Joanna appeared to hinge made fewer mistakes than the one who -namely, how was it that their hopes does. His success he attributes entirely did not collapse when the true cause of to the power of prayer. Even "gifts" of that good lady's indisposition was re- a material sort drop in answer to his apvealed by a post mortem examination? peals, and that in abundance. One lady They smiled at my heathen ignorance, and pointing to the old lady in the corner, the two men said: There are our hopes. Mrs. Peacock has taken Joanna's place.' Motives of delicacy prevented our commissioner from hinting at the unlikelihood of a family at the old lady's advanced age: but she perceived his difficulty, and at once relieved him from embarrassment by observing: "It isn't a material birth as we look for, but a spiritual one." Satan's "indictment," she went on to tell him, "was now ready, and a jury of twelve saints were almost very literally to sit upon him. I'm expecting it every day, sir, every hour." She had published an address to the bishops, dated, as usual with her, from "the Royal Manger," which had been sent in the form of a letter to Lambeth, Fulham and other episcopal residences; but no reply had been received upon the matter; though, on the other hand, she felt convinced that a person who had once called upon her, soon afterwards, disguised in a wig, wide-awake, and mean attire, was no other than the Archbishop of Canterbury, Nor had they been more successful with other branches of the church; "our" Mr. Peacock being especially aggrieved with Mr. Spurgeon, to whom he said he had made a mild appeal at a Tabernacle tea-party; the result of which a member too of another religious body- gave him twenty thousand pounds to found his Orphanage at Stockwell, where two hundred and twenty boys are boarded, clothed, and taught. On more than one occasion, two thousand pounds have been dropped into his letter-box anonymously. When recently attacked by illness, he began to think the funds might suffer through the absence of his ministrations, but that same evening a lady left five hundred pounds at his door, and one thousand pounds came in immediately afterwards. With all this, he is a modest man, and speaks of himself, accurately enough, indeed, as "no scholar.” But his eloquence and genuine humour are beyond question. His mighty temple, which holds six thousand persons, is filled in every nook and corner every Sunday to hear him preach. He lends it once a year to the Primitive Methodists to hold therein their missionary meeting, and the Tabernacle "on the Rant," as it is euphoniously termed, is very curious spectacle indeed. All the speakers were interrupted by the utterances, like pistol-shots, of "Hallelujah and "Glory to God," which proved very disconcerting to our reverend commissioner. A proposal to swell the already large income of the mission, by getting every one in the connection to abandon embroidered with gold; there were ministers in black tippets, and ministers in white tippets, and ministers in short sur plices with coloured stoles. The musical performances were magnificent, and there was a special prayer "for the low estate of the church." But there were no "prophetic utterances ;" and if there were any "unknown tongues," our commissioner did not hear them. beer and tobacco, was received with vol-¡ one at Islington, but the Head of the leys of these ejaculations, concerning Church was in a rich purple cope: the which Dr. Davies tells an excellent sacrificial garments were of white satin, story: "A lady sat at a Primitive Methodist Chapel close by a poor man who was remarkably ill shod, and whose exclamations were in inverse proportion to his shoe-leather. He kept crying out 'Glory be to God!' until he quite annoyed her; and, on leaving chapel, the lady told him such was the case, promising him a new pair of boots if he would restrain himself within due bounds. He did so for several days; but afterwards some particu- From the performances in Gordon larly exciting cause occurred, and he Square to High Mass in Southwark. started up in chapel, shouting out there is but a small step, and we will not 'Boots or no boots, glory be to God!" pursue the indefatigable Dr. Davies Some of the preachers had considerable thither. The Passionist Fathers at Higheloquence, but the letter h was never in gate: the West London Synagogue: use except where it ought not to be. the "Plumstead Peculiars" - people that The conclusion of the chief divine won't call in a doctor, though when tried, seemed to be, that there were at present for manslaughter for their neglect of their seven hundred millions of human beings sick they call in a lawyer to defend them: whose future must be despaired of, and the Sandemanians, a mild and tearfu though there were nominally nearly half sect, who seem to suffer greatly from that number of Christians, many of them depression; the Christadelphians; the were very "dark." This gentleman was Jumpers - who don't die: No, sir." great at quoting hymns; and as some fa- said one of their chief priests, we have miliar line struck their ears, his listeners never given the undertaker a job yet, and would cry out, like the intelligent small don't mean to ;" and yet the Connection boy in a viva voce class: “I know it: Hal- is seven years old, and numbers some lelujah!" whereupon he entreated them two hundred in London; all these and a to restrain themselves till the end of score of other sects were investigated by each verse, and then cry hallelujah as our author and reported on. We have only much as they liked." There was one space, however, for a brief notice of two really striking illustration of the numeri- of them; and among all these various cal strength of the Connection. Once congregations it would perhaps be hard in every six hours the pearly gates of to find any more dissimilar-the feloniheaven are thrown back for a Primitive ous flock presided over by the famous Methodist to pass behind them." And Ned Wright, and the Quakers. The ac the belief of these remarkable people seems to be that they are thrown back for nobody else. count which is given us of these latter is by no means what most of us would expect: the starch seems to have been A place of worship very different from taken out of them of late years in a marthe Tabernacle, and imposing from quite vellous degree. The young ladies of the other reasons, is the Irvingite Chapel in congregation are described as not being Gordon Square. The disciples, indeed, Quakerish at all: "silks rustled up the of the great Edward are not numerous; narrow aisle," by no means of that hue of the apostolate itself, restored by the pro- silver gray which was once distinctive of phetic call in 1832 to its original number the sect; the bonnets were as "killing" of twelve, has now dwindled down to as in any fashionable church; and " three; but the splendours of ceremonial noticed upon the ungloved hand of a still survive, and attract the curious. At youthful Quaker matron considerably the week-day evening service, our com- more jewelled circlets than the weddingmissioner counted no less than fourteen ring and keeper." The men had in many persons "in vestments;" while the num- cases long beards, and some "quite a ber of the congregation this, however, rakish-looking moustache." At eleven was in their church at Paddington Green o'clock, the "silent service" commenced: was but twenty like the American how the boys and girls were kept dumb army, the colonels almost outnumbered and unoccupied seems little short of a the privates, but unlike it the uniforms miracle, but so all remained for nearly were superb. The Angel" not the an hour! In the life of the author of - - the Ingoldsby Legends, there is a most you travel to Maidstone? Did they take humorous anecdote of himself and Theo- you in a coach and pair?' asked Ned. dore Hook buying a bun of pantomimicYes, sir,' faltered the lad, evidently nonproportions, and proposing it as a prize plussed. Ah! you can go out, my boy; for the Quaker, who, under these circum- I knew you were not a thief.' The pracstances, should speak first; in the pres- tised eye had spotted him in a moment. ent case it was a lady who would have He lacked, not the white wedding-robe, earned the bun. She delivered a brief but the black qualification of conviction but practical address; after which was for crime, and so was walked out into the more silence. Then suddenly, at the darkness. Ned tells me he has constantstroke of one, "hats were reassumed, and ly to be on his guard against this kind of a general shaking of hands commenced fraud. To get one of those paper-bags with animated conversation and every now being handed round, each containappearance of relief from conscious re-ing half a loaf and a bun, with a jorum of straint." soup that is to follow, men and boys will assume a 'virtue' though they have it not; but they have no chance with Ned. He has been through it all himself, and is still as sharp as a nail." To attend the ministrations of Ned Wright-unless one is a convicted thief -requires a special invitation. His congregation is naturally jealous lest, under the pretence of curiosity or piety, some policeman should attend the service and pick out the man who is "wanted; " but our reverend commissioner contrived to obtain admittance without qualifying himself for the Old Bailey. He procured a card of welcome, which ran as follows: Mission Hall, Hales Street, High Street, Deptford. Admit the bearer to Ned Wright's supper for men and boys who Ned" followed with his homely elohave been convicted of felony. Doors quence, the burden of which was, not pea at 5.30. Supper at 6 precisely." On only that thieving was sinful, but that it the back of the card was written: "Please never pays. "You thieves,” cried he take care that this ticket does not fall boldly, "are all cowards and fools." into the hands of detectives, and oblige They need not be offended, since he had yours truly, Edward Wright." Upon been one himself, as he at once proceedreaching the neighbourhood of the Mis-ed to tell them. At the great fire at sion Hall, our author was much impor- Cotton's Wharf, Ned was following the tuned for cards by the male population, calling of a lighter-man, and, coming sho, although, alas! with every qualifica- down stream at the time, ran his barge tion to be of the congregation, are much ashore, stole a boat, and filled his pockets too numerous, it seems, for the limits of with money by rowing people at a shilthe pastor's hospitality. In the chapel ling a head up and down to see the fire. Nere seated about a hundred guests, "What was the consequence?" asked "from the lad of eleven who had served he. Why, next morning, I found myis seven days in Maidstone Jail, to the self lying dead drunk in a gutter in Toogray-haired and sturdy culprit who had ley Street, with my pockets empty." He Cone' three terms of penal servitude." next heard from a pal that the fat had Most of these gentry had got very short run down the gratings into the sewers, hair indeed. "A curly-wigged little chap where it had hardened, and was to be of ten was seated on a back bench; and had for the taking. Ned and five others though my unpractised eye did not notice got sacks from a rag-shop, and lanterns, his exuberant chevelure, his cleanliness and worked their way through the sewer, and prettiness led me to say: 'Surely, up to their middles in water, to where the Mr. Wright, that boy is not a thief? fat was lying thick on the surface, "like 'You shall see,' said Ned. He went to a tub of butter cut in two." In his eagerthe boy, and asked him : 'Are you a thief? Yes, sir,' was the prompt reply, with a ready statement of the offence which had got him seven days in Maidstone jail. Now, what did you sleep on when you were there, my boy?' Policemen's jackets, sir.' And how did After supper commenced the spiritual work, which, though admirable in itself, was still curiously mixed up with material and practical arguments. First, a gentleman from Port Arthur described in a graphic manner the miseries of convict-life, and how he had been besought by one who suffered from it "to go and speak to the Deptford boys ;" and then . ness to reach it, Ned outstripped the rest, and, just as he was nearing it, one of his mates opened his lantern to light a pipe. This caught the sewer-gas, and ignited the fat between him and his companions. He stood there, and vowed to God, if he got out, he would alter his course; ther plunging into the water, he swam under scribes the investigations of them as having taught himself, is one of Tolerance and Charity; and even if missing that, these revelations of "Unorthodox London" cannot fail, as it seems to us, to be interesting to every thoughtful mind. CENTURY. From Nature. the fire, and got back safely. "Just so," he said, "you are brave when being 'jollied' by your pals, but cowards when in the silent cell. You are fools, too. You get nothing out of your thieving. A lad in this room stole a pair of boots, worth five shillings and sixpence, and sold them for one penny; another, a jug worth one shilling, for which he got a halfpenny." Then a hymn was sung, to the tune of "Just before the battle, MINERS' RULES IN THE SEVENTEENTH mother;" and on went Ned again, actually forcing the fellows to listen to him with his tremendous lung-power and peculiar habit of dropping down on any "larky listener. "Look you here!" he said. "There was a fellow kicking at the door just now. I went out, and found a chap as big and ugly as myself, and pinched his nose rather hard. You wouldn't do that if I was along-side you." He ended with a really eloquent though homely picture of Christ crucified between two thieves, and taking one with him to Paradise. The devil says," he concluded, "Can God have such fellows as you in heaven? Yes, He can. I have been worse than any of you. Before I was seventeen, I fought young Cooper of Redhill for two hours and twenty minutes, was flogged in her Majesty's navy, and tried and convicted at Newgate for felony. I came, like that thief, to Jesus Christ. Take my word for it, thieving don't pay." 66 After all was over, many staid "to speak with Ned," and as it really seemed for nothing more was to be got to eat with sincere intentions of amendment. Some were still strong and hopeful for the future; others "utterly heart-broken at the idea of anybody taking notice of them." At all events, as our author well remarks, these living bundles of rags, dirty and shock-headed though they were, afforded a happy contrast-there, on their bended knees, or recalling from old Sunday-school days snatches of old hymns to the shouting rabble kicking at the door without. ON looking over a package of old papers I have found some documents, of which I enclose copies, written by a German miner, named Brandshagen, who was employed by my ancestor, Sir Philip Egerton, to superintend the attempt to work copper in the New Red Sandstone strata of Cheshire in the year 1697. As the rules for miners of that age afford so strong a contrast to the unruly behaviour of that class at the present day, they may perhaps interest some of the readers of NATURE. P. DE M. GREY-EGERTON. Worthy & most honourable Sir, Your worship give most humbly thanks for employment meself and my countrymen about your Worship mines, which I have enjoyed now above 4 weekes, & not to be att all further unacquainted unto your Worship, I could not forbeare to give a true & plain account of what I have observed in this time about these mines, as good as my smal understanding in ye English linguage would permit, & if it was in any way acceptable then my wishes & desires where fulfilled. I have this time also endeavoured to blow up ye rocks by guns powder, as the best way to kill them, butt in ye first time I found ye elements as aire & water where against my designe, ye last I have conquered, and hope I shall do so ye other next time when I have occasion for it. I found also some other small things which would not so soon agree with my hands, for there are many years past, that I did work under ground with my owne There are in Dr. Davies's volume many hands, butt all these things are now dismore graphic descriptions, and curious ceased, onely that I was lately too covetillustrations of the variety of our forms ous & would have more rocks blown up of creed most of these sects seem then my powder was able to; what other earnest, genuine, and well-conducted in blasts for effect have done, your Worship their relations to their fellow-creatures; can be informed of it by Mr. Smith. I the majority of them are confident not shall endeavour all what is in my power only that their narrow formulas contain to serve your Worship with that underall that man's spiritual nature demands, standing I have about mines to which I but that its food is to be found nowhere have employed meself now above 15 year, else. The lesson that our author de-in spending a great deal of money as well for learning as travelling in many places to ye honour & glory of him, & to ye benin Europe where good mines where, to efit & blessinesse of ye mines Lords & come to any perfection in this art. I their whole familie. have received now my things for examin- After this every one must goe to his ation of ye oare, which I will doe as soon post, & diligently performe to what ye as possibly I can come to it in this deso- steward shall order him, in doing ye conlate place, where nothing in ye world is trary he shall be duely punished, & he to be had for any commodities what so- who shall leave ye work within ye duely ever it may be, & whilst we are strangers hours & before ye signe is given, shall here, & must buy all things for ready, it loose 6d. or for every half-an-hour 2d. as is impossible to life of what your Wor-ye steward shall think fitt, & he that is ship has allowed unto us & therefore I found neglectfull shall every time have Loubt not your Worship will make a dis- forfeited 2d. tinction between workmen & workmen, with which I recommend me into your Worship' favour allways remaining Your Worship most humble Servant, J. A. BRANDSHAGEN, When it is pay-day, every workman before he gett money must shew to ye steward his tools and other things what is trusted in his hand by ye lost of all his wages, & if there should want any of such things, he must leave so much money of his wages as it is worthy in ye stewards hand till he restores ye same. He that hindered one an other in his work it may be in what way it will, either by ill words, quarreling or in other ways, must duely be punished as ye steward thinks fitt, because every one must be quiet with his work; have they any thing one against an other they may bring it before ye stewart, or cleare their things after ye work is done att an other place. Rules for all Workmen in general. One of every Workmen he may be of what sort he will shall come half an hour efore ye duely time & give a certain number of strucks with a hammer on an Iron plate, erected to this purpose, to give a Signe to ye other workmen to come att work, half an hour after he shall coe so att a second time by an other No body shall be permitted without zumber of strucks & shall streike no more leave of ye steward to take any oare away then ye duely strucks by forfeiting 2d., he for a shewing piece, or under any other has ye same signes to give all day when pretext, but he may ye same aske from ye miners shall come out & goe under ye steward & be content with that he ground again, & this shall doc one work-gives him, and if any should doe ye conman after an other from day to day, & he trary, he is so heigh to punish as ye stewwho has done ye businesse this day shall ard shall think sufficient. remember to his follower that he has to Coe ye same next day, & he that wilfully neglected these remembrance shall be punished together with him that shall doe this businesse next day (if he neglect it) for he himself must be careful about ye time & day to doe this, & he that shall give ye signs too late, has forfeited 6d., & he that shall not doe it att all shall loose all his wages, due to him, & by consent of ye mines Lords shall be turned of from ye work. No body shall bring any person or persons not belonging to ye mines, either under ground or at any other place where ye oares or other things are, without permission of ye steward, & that by ye penalty of one shilling. Every man must be in a Christian-like behaviour, and he that speekes blasphemes, or gives scandales, or does other things near ye mines with which God is offended, shall every time be punished with 4d. or more according to his crime. In ye morning before ye last struck is When it is pay-day every one must be dene on ye Iron plate every workman be- of a modest behaviour against ye stewonging to ye ntines must appeare to ye ard, and must not murmur against him appointed place near ye work, or he has when his wages is decurted for punishforfeited 2d, & he that comes half-an-ment, butt must bring his complaints (if hour after, 2d. more, & so following for he has any against it) before ye mines every half-an-hour 2d., and this is under- Lord, if nevertheless that he has gotten stood of all times when ye signe is given. his wages, he must not go from ye stewWhen they are together they may doe ard away, till ye whole payment is done, a short prayer that God may give his & can give witnesse that every one has blessing to their work, that it may raise received his due. |