  The Queen's visit to the City — Her unpopularity — King's dislike of the Duchess of Kent — Hungerford Market opened — Death and funeral of Wilberforce — Abolition of slavery — Synopsis of Act — A Women's rowing match — List of periodicals and their circulation — Return of Captain Ross — State of Ireland — Passing of "Coercion Bill," etc. The poor Queen was still very unpopular, as we read in the Times of June 15th— "We are assured by a gentleman who followed the royal procession on Thursday (June 13th), both in the approach to the Cathedral and in the subsequent visit to the Mansion House, that her Majesty's reception in the City was by no means so favourable as was represented. In passing up Ludgate Hill the groans and hisses of the multitude were extremely violent, so as quite to overpower the manifestations of respect which proceeded in that place from a very small portion of the spectators. After the termination of the service at St. Paul's, the royal carriage was attended, comparatively, by a very small number of the populace, and among these a few hisses were occasionally heard, with also a few indications of a more loyal nature; but the demeanour of a far greater portion of the spectators was cold and indifferent. Some hisses were heard from the populace at the time her Majesty was ascending the steps at the Mansion House. When the cortÉge drove off after the visit to the Lord Mayor, it was done with so much rapidity as to be soon out of sight, and almost elude the observation of the populace." There was also considerable friction, in the royal "July 4th.—At Court yesterday, and Council for a foolish business. The King has been (not unnaturally) disgusted with the Duchess of Kent's progress with her daughter through the kingdom, and, amongst the rest, with her sailings at the Isle of Wight, and the continual popping in the shape of salutes to her Royal Highness. He did not choose that this latter practice should go on, and he signified his pleasure to Sir James Graham and Lord Hill, for salutes are matters of general order, both to army and navy. They (and Lord Grey) thought it better to make no order on the subject, and they opened a negotiation with the Duchess of Kent, to induce her, of her own account, to waive the salutes, and when she went to the Isle of Wight to send word that, as she was sailing about for her amusement, she had rather they did not salute her whenever she appeared. The negotiation failed, for the Duchess insisted on her right to be saluted, and would not give it up. Kemp told me he had heard that Conroy (who is a ridiculous fellow, a compound of 'Great Hussy' and the Chamberlain of the Princess of Navarre Among the odds and ends of news in this year was the opening of Hungerford Market, on July 2nd, amidst great festivity, which included a balloon ascent, and a ball and fireworks at night. It was situated on the site now occupied by the Charing Cross Station, and was demolished in 1862. It seems hard that he was denied the pleasure of seeing that come to pass, the forwarding of which had occupied so great a part of his life, viz. the abolition of slavery. In 1807 the importation of slaves into our colonies was decreed; but men's minds were exercised as to the lawfulness of keeping slaves at all, and an Anti-Slavery Society was established in 1823, the principal members of which were Wilberforce, Buxton, Zachary Macaulay, Lord Suffield, and Dr. Lushington, and in that year a movement was made in Parliament in furtherance of this object, but for some years the cause made little progress, until 1830, when it was again taken up. But, in 1833, the Government took it seriously in hand, and the abolition of slavery was carried with comparatively little opposition. True, Mr. W. E. Gladstone, in a debate thereon, on June 3rd, defended his father as a slave owner—he The opponents of the Bill talked of the helplessness of the negroes, who had always had everything found them, and prophesied that they would starve; indeed, an anonymous artist produced the accompanying picture of "An Emancipated Negro," who is reduced to catching butterflies for food. The Bill passed the House of Commons on August 7th, and received the Royal Assent on August 28th. It is 3 and 4 Gul. IV. c. 73, and is entitled "An Act All children under six years of age, or born after August 1st, 1834, are declared free: all registered slaves above six years become, from the same date, apprenticed labourers, divided into two principal classes, prÆdial, or those engaged in agriculture, and the non-prÆdial; the apprenticeships of the former to expire August 1, 1838; of the latter August 1, 1840. The hours of the prÆdial apprentices not to exceed forty-five in any one week, and for which they were to be paid either by being boarded and lodged or by receiving a sum of money weekly. By this transition into the apprentice state, the slave immediately entered into the chief immunities of a free man; he could not be arbitrarily punished by his master, and became eligible to give evidence in criminal and civil courts, to serve on juries and in the militia. One of the chief difficulties to settle, was in determining the compensation to the owners of slaves for the loss of their compulsory services. A very small party in the Commons was in favour of the immediate and entire emancipation of the negroes, and that without any compensation whatever; the ministers at first proposed advancing a loan of £15,000,000 to the West India proprietors; subsequently this loan was transmuted into a gift of To change from grave to gay. The "New Woman" was already beginning to assert masculine functions, though hardly in such an Æsthetic manner as to-day. In 1787 Rowlandson portrayed a cricket match played in that year by women, at Ball's Pond, and several satirical prints immortalize the lady cricketer; but it was reserved for the Times of September 4, 1833, to chronicle— "A Rowing Match among Women.—The proposed wager among women came off yesterday. It was said that the contest was for a purse of sovereigns given by the ladies and gentlemen of Lambeth; but it is believed the proprietor of a public-house near Lambeth Palace was the donor. The females were the wives and daughters of fishermen. The canaille mustered in shoals, and never did we see a rowing match so attended. The purlieus of Westminster and St. George's Fields had poured forth their population, and Billingsgate had supplied its oratory. To attempt to describe the rowing, or to give the names of Sal this, or Mary that, as they were bawled from the shore in a tone of encouragement, would be a gross insult to the understanding of our readers; but the lady who wore a blue bow in her cap as large as a sunflower, and who had her garments tied round her legs with a rope, had the distinguished honour of being declared the victor." We are used to hear each newspaper vieing with another as to its circulation, but the following list is
Parliament (the first reformed) met on January 29th, and it was not long before the more effective government of Ireland was brought on for discussion. A Bill for the suppression of disturbances in Ireland (or, as it was commonly called, "The Coercion Bill") was introduced into the House of Lords by Earl Grey, was read a first time on February 15th, and was passed there without a division on February 22nd. But it had a very warm time in the House of Commons, and it was not passed until March 29th. The Lords agreed with the amendments of the Commons, and it received the Royal Assent on April 2nd. It is 3 and 4 Gul. IV. c. 4, "An Act for the more effectual suppression of local Disturbances and dangerous Associations in Ireland." The Lord Lieutenant at once put the Act in force, with very good results. The more daring outrages diminished; for whereas The fashions of this year include two walking-dresses, one dinner, and one ball-dress, together with bonnets, a turban, a cap, and various modes of dressing the hair. (See preceding page.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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