Friday, January
16th, 1824
TO THE HEDITER
Vestminster Pit, Sunday
Sar – To-day bein vat a
Lawyer’s Clarke as cums to my Pit calls a “die ease num” (by vich I suppose he
means a day on vich my bear and bajjer’s has an easy time of it,) I’ve
mended the old pen as I rote all my former yepissels with, and have tuk it up
to call yure attenshon to summut as I hav jest red in the Bishop’s paper. Here is it.
GRAND SHOOTING PARTY – Friday se’nnights and Monday week were slaughtering
days in the home coverts at Whersted Lodge, the seat of Lord Granville,
near Ipswich. On Friday there were
killed with guns, 2 partridges, 151 pheasants, 6 woodcocks, 70 hares, and 36
rabbits – total 265. And on Monday, with
12 guns, 4 partridges, 433 pheasants, 4 woodcocks, 320 hares, and 58 rabits –
total 819. Grand total, 1,084.
The following list has
been handed to us, as containing the number of heads of games killed on
Monday by the NOBLEMEN and GENTLEMEN respectively. It does not exactly correspond with the
statement above, which we have no doubt is correct, but we suppose it included
THE WOUNDED BIRDS, which were not picked up till the next day!
Duke of
York 128
Duke of
Wellington 120
Lord
Granville 48
Hon. Mr.
Greville 120
Hon. Mr.
De Roos 105
Hon. Mr.
Anson 88
Hon. Mr.
Lamb 78
Hon. Mr.
Montague 70
Hon. Mr.
Ponsonby 55
Hon. Mr.
Arbuthnot 26
Sir
Robt. Harland, bart 45
Rev. Mr.
Capper 41
Total 924
Vel sir, vat do you
think of that? Theres 819 poor annemels
kild in vun day, and 105 VOUNDED – picked up in the voods the next day – left
to die of broken legs and vings!
And vat sort of
annemels vas they, Ser? – tame annemals, vat vas fed in “the Home
Coverts” till they was as tame as barn dore fouls; pretty annemals, Ser,
innocent annemals; annemals as feel as much as Mr. MARTIN. And hoo vas it as kild and vounded
them, Ser? Vy a Rial Dook, a common
Dook, a Lord, seven HONNORABELS, a Barrownite, and a REVEREND Minister of that
religgon, vich Mrs. Fry told vun of our chaps tuther day in Newgate was a religgon
of kindness, of mercy, and of luv?
And vy did they commit
this “slaughter?” – Vat vas there motiv for this butchery? Ile tell you, Ser. – Pleshure! Greet
pleshure, Ser! There was the pleshure of
eatin a few of em; there was the pleshure of laying rich people, as havvent got
no “home coverts”, under the sort of Hobblegashon vich they think it to reserve
a present of game from a Dook or a Lord; there was the pleshure of boastin
about there shuting, and of coutin the number as died at vunce, and the number
as died by degrees in the voods; there was the pleshure of lettin the
Rail Dook shute the most! -- that’s
a pleshure as may be varth sumthing sum day, and, last of all there vas the
pleshure of having their names in the Newspaper. I dont say much of that, for its a pleshure
to me, and yure verry good to indulge me in it.
But I jest vant to ask
MR. MARTIN vat he thinks of all this? I
no he vont do nothin, but I vant to no vat he thinks? I jest vant to no vether he thinks there’s
any jestice in his Hact of Parliament, vich settels a donkey-boy in a
jiffey, and lets all them NOBS commit as much cruelty as ever they like? Lord, O Lord, vat at a wurld this is! Here’s he as will be the Had of the Law;
here’s Dooks, Lords, Barrownites, and Honnorabels, all law-makers themselves;
here’s Parson-Magistrates, as upholds the laws and executes em, as preeches againste cruelty, and sends a
poor man to the mill for pickin up a ded hare vich had dies of a mortificashun
caused by vun of theer own guns.
Here’s a set of Rial,
Nobel, Honnorabel, Vurthy, Reverrent Gentlemen, going out to a “slaughtering
day in the home coverts” to kill 819 annemals, as never did em eny harm, and to
vound 105 more, all for pleshure.
And here is the Bishops Paper, vat rites for the shuvvels hats, and vat
so often blackards “the ignorant, cruel, feroshous, lower-orders,” publisahin a
fine boastien descriptishon of the “slaughtering day,” and calculatin the
number as vas kild outrite and the number as died of slow lingerrin pain in the
voods, and vas picked up the next day “by the Noblemen and Gentlemen!”
A happy new yeer to
you, ser, and if you puts this in, you’ll be, as yushall, a frend to the
Poor -- Yure most obedient sarvent to
command,
‘CHARLEY
EASTUP’
Published in 'Memoirs of Uncle Barnaby'
Arbour Editions 2017
Published in 'Memoirs of Uncle Barnaby'
Arbour Editions 2017
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