"JEAMES OF BUCKLEY SQUARE.
"A HELIGY.
"Come all ye gents vot cleans the plate, Come all ye ladies maids so fair-- Vile I a story vill relate Of cruel Jeames of Buckley Square.
A tighter lad, it is confest, Neer valked with powder in his air, Or vore a nosegay in his breast, Than andsum Jeames of Buckley Square.
"O Evns! it vas the best of sights, Behind his Master"s coach and pair, To see our Jeames in red plush tights, A driving hoff from Buckley Square.
He vel became his hagwilletts, He c.o.c.ked his at with SUCH a hair; His calves and viskers VAS such pets, That hall loved Jeames of Buckley Square.
"He pleased the hup-stairs folks as vell, And o! I vithered vith despair, Missis VOULD ring the parler bell, And call up Jeames in Buckley Square.
Both beer and sperrits he abhord, (Sperrits and beer I can"t a bear,) You would have thought he vas a lord Down in our All in Buckley Square.
"Last year he visper"d "Mary Ann, Ven I"ve an under"d pound to spare, To take a public is my plan, And leave this hojous Buckley Square."
O how my gentle heart did bound, To think that I his name should bear.
"Dear Jeames." says I, "I"ve twenty pound; And gev them him in Buckley Square.
"Our master vas a City gent, His name"s in railroads everywhere, And lord, vot lots of letters vent Betwigst his brokers and Buckley Square: My Jeames it was the letters took, And read them all, (I think it"s fair,) And took a leaf from Master"s book, As HOTHERS do in Buckley Square.
Encouraged with my twenty pound, Of which poor I was unavare, He wrote the Companies all round, And signed hisself from Buckley Square.
And how John Porter used to grin, As day by day, share after share, Came railvay letters pouring in, "J. Plush, Esquire, in Buckley Square."
"Our servants" All was in a rage-- Scrip, stock, curves, gradients, bull and bear, Vith butler, coachman, groom and page, Vas all the talk in Buckley Square.
But O! imagine vot I felt Last Vensday veek as ever were; I gits a letter, which I spelt "Miss M. A. Hoggins, Buckley Square."
"He sent me back my money true-- He sent me back my lock of air, And said, "My dear, I bid ajew To Mary Hann and Buckley Square.
Think not to marry, foolish Hann, With people who your betters are; James Plush is now a gentleman, And you--a cook in Buckley Square.
""I"ve thirty thousand guineas won, In six short months, by genus rare; You little thought what Jeames was on, Poor Mary Hann, in Buckley Square.
I"ve thirty thousand guineas net, Powder and plush I scorn to vear; And so, Miss Mary Hann, forget For hever Jeames, of Buckley Square.""
The rest of the MS. is illegible, being literally washed away in a flood of tears.
A LETTER FROM "JEAMES, OF BUCKLEY SQUARE."
"ALBANY, LETTER X. August 10, 1845.
"SIR,--Has a reglar suscriber to your emusing paper, I beg leaf to state that I should never have done so, had I supposed that it was your abbit to igspose the mistaries of privit life, and to hinjer the delligit feelings of umble individyouals like myself, who have NO IDEER of being made the subject of newspaper criticism.
"I elude, sir, to the unjustafiable use which has been made of my name in your Journal, where both my muccantile speclations and the HINMOST PASHSN OF MY ART have been brot forrards in a rid.i.c.klus way for the public emusemint.
"What call, sir, has the public to inquire into the suckmstansies of my engagements with Miss Mary Hann Oggins, or to meddle with their rupsher?
Why am I to be maid the hobjick of your REDICULE IN A DOGGRIL BALLIT impewted to her? I say IMPEWTED, because, in MY time at least, Mary Hann could only sign her + mark (has I"ve hoften witnist it for her when she paid hin at the Savings Bank), and has for SACRIFICING TO THE MEWSES and making POATRY, she was as HINCAPIBLE as Mr. Wakley himself.
"With respect to the ballit, my baleaf is, that it is wrote by a footman in a low famly, a pore retch who attempted to rivle me in my affections to Mary Hann--a feller not five foot six, and with no more calves to his legs than a donkey--who was always a-ritin (having been a doctor"s boy) and who I nockt down with a pint of porter (as he well recklex) at the 3 Tuns Jerming Street, for daring to try to make a but of me. He has signed Miss H"s name to his NONSINCE AND LIES: and you lay yourself hopen to a haction for libel for insutting them in your paper.
"It is false that I have treated Miss H. hill in HANY way. That I borrowed 20lb of her is TREW. But she confesses I paid it back. Can hall people say as much of the money THEY"VE lent or borrowed? No. And I not only paid it back, but giv her the andsomest pres"nts: WHICH I NEVER SHOULD HAVE ALLUDED TO, but for this attack. Fust, a silver thimble (which I found in Missus"s work-box); secknd, a vollom of Byrom"s poems; third, I halways brought her a glas of Curasore, when we ad a party, of which she was remarkable fond. I treated her to Hashley"s twice, (and halways a srimp or a hoyster by the way,) and a THOWSND DELIGIT ATTENTIONS, which I sapose count for NOTHINK.
"Has for marridge. Haltered suckmstancies rendered it himpossable. I was gone into a new spear of life--mingling with my native aristoxy.
I breathe no sallible of blame against Miss H., but his a hilliterit cookmaid fit to set at a fashnable table? Do young fellers of rank genrally marry out of the Kitching? If we cast our i"s upon a low-born gal, I needn say it"s only a tempory distraction, pore pa.s.sy le tong. So much for HER claims upon me. Has for THAT BEEST OF A DOCTOR"S BOY he"s unwuthy the notas of a Gentleman.
"That I"ve one thirty thousand lb, AND PRAPS MORE, I dont deny. Ow much has the Kilossus of Railroads one, I should like to know, and what was his cappitle? I hentered the market with 20lb, specklated Jewdicious, and ham what I ham. So may you be (if you have 20lb, and praps you haven"t)--So may you be: if you choose to go in & win.
"I for my part am jusly PROWD of my suxess, and could give you a hundred instances of my gratatude. For igsample, the fust pair of hosses I bought (and a better pair of steppers I dafy you to see in hany curracle,) I crisn"d Hull and Selby, in grateful elusion to my transackshns in that railroad. My riding Cob I called very unhaptly my Dublin and Galway. He came down with me the other day, and I"ve jest sold him at 1/4 discount.
"At fust with prudence and modration I only kep two grooms for my stables, one of whom lickwise waited on me at table. I have now a confidenshle servant, a vally de shamber--He curls my air; inspex my accounts, and hansers my hinvitations to dinner. I call this Vally my TRENT VALLY, for it was the prophit I got from that exlent line, which injuiced me to ingage him.
"Besides my North British Plate and Breakfast equipidge--I have two handsom suvvices for dinner--the goold plate for Sundays, and the silver for common use. When I ave a great party, "Trent," I say to my man, "we will have the London and b.u.mmingham plate to-day (the goold), or else the Manchester and Leeds (the silver)." I bought them after realizing on the abuf lines, and if people suppose that the companys made me a presnt of the plate, how can I help it?
"In the sam way I say, "Trent, bring us a bottle of Bristol amid Hexeter!" or, "Put some Heastern Counties in hice!" HE knows what I mean: it"s the wines I bought upon the hospicious tummination of my connexshn with those two railroads.
"So strong, indeed, as this abbit become, that being asked to stand G.o.dfather to the youngest Miss Diddle last weak, I had her christened (provisionally) Rosamell--from the French line of which I am Director; and only the other day, finding myself rayther unwell, "Doctor," says I to Sir Jeames Clark, "I"ve sent to consult you because my Midlands are out of horder; and I want you to send them up to a premium." The Doctor lafd, and I beleave told the story subsquintly at Buckinum P-ll-s.
"But I will trouble you no father. My sole objict in writing has been to CLEAR MY CARRATER--to show that I came by my money in a honrable way: that I"m not ashaymd of the manner in which I gayned it, and ham indeed grateful for my good fortune.
"To conclude, I have ad my podigree maid out at the Erald Hoffis (I don"t mean the Morning Erald), and have took for my arms a Stagg. You are corrict in stating that I am of hancient Normin famly. This is more than Peal can say, to whomb I applied for a barnetcy; but the primmier being of low igstraction, natrally stickles for his horder. Consurvative though I be, I MAY CHANGE MY OPINIONS before the next Election, when I intend to hoffer myself as a Candyd.i.c.k for Parlymint.
"Meanwhile, I have the honor to be, Sir,
"Your most obeajnt Survnt,
"FITZ-JAMES DE LA PLUCHE."
THE DIARY.
One day in the panic week, our friend Jeames called at our office, evidently in great perturbation of mind and disorder of dress. He had no flower in his b.u.t.ton-hole; his yellow kid gloves were certainly two days old. He had not above three of the ten chains he usually sports, and his great coa.r.s.e knotty-knuckled old hands were deprived of some dozen of the rubies, emeralds, and other cameos with which, since his elevation to fortune, the poor fellow has thought fit to adorn himself.
"How"s scrip, Mr. Jeames?" said we pleasantly, greeting our esteemed contributor.
"Scrip be ----," replied he, with an expression we cannot repeat, and a look of agony it is impossible to describe in print, and walked about the parlor whistling, humming, rattling his keys and coppers, and showing other signs of agitation. At last, "MR. PUNCH," says he, after a moment"s hesitation, "I wish to speak to you on a pint of businiss.
I wish to be paid for my contribewtions to your paper. Suckmstances is altered with me. I--I--in a word, CAN you lend me --L. for the account?"
He named the sum. It was one so great that we don"t care to mention it here; but on receiving a cheque for the amount (on Messrs. Pump and Aldgate, our bankers,) tears came into the honest fellow"s eyes. He squeezed our hand until he nearly wrung it off, and shouting to a cab, he plunged into it at our office-door, and was off to the City.
Returning to our study, we found he had left on our table an open pocket-book, of the contents of which (for the sake of safety) we took an inventory. It contained--three tavern-bills, paid; a tailor"s ditto, unsettled; forty-nine allotments in different companies, twenty-six thousand seven hundred shares in all, of which the market value we take, on an average, to be 1/4 discount; and in an old bit of paper tied with pink ribbon a lock of chestnut hair, with the initials M. A. H.
In the diary of the pocket-book was a journal, jotted down by the proprietor from time to time. At first the entries are insignificant: as, for instance:--"3rd January--Our beer in the Suvnts" hall so PRECIOUS small at this Christmas time that I reely MUSS give warning, & wood, but for my dear Mary Hann. February 7--That broot Screw, the Butler, wanted to kis her, but my dear Mary Hann boxt his hold hears, & served him right. I DATEST Screw,"--and so forth. Then the diary relates to Stock Exchange operations, until we come to the time when, having achieved his successes, Mr. James quitted Berkeley Square and his livery, and began his life as a speculator and a gentleman upon town. It is from the latter part of his diary that we make the following
EXTRAX:--