Transcribed from the 1903 Hurst and Blackett edition by DavidPrice,
GOSSIP
IN THE FIRST DECADE OF
VICTORIA’S REIGN
By
John Ashton
author of
“Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne”
illustrated byreproductions from cartoons
and other drawings
london
HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED
13, Gt. Marlborough St., W.
1903
All rights reserved
p. viPrinted by Kelly’s Directories Ltd.
London and Kingston.
p. viiPREFACE.
I have written this Gossip not only for the edification ofthose to whom a portion, more or less, may be news, but for thosewho, like myself, have lived through the whole of QueenVictoria’s reign, to whom the remembrance of things, almostforgotten, may bring pleasure and excite interest. Theitems, herein displayed, have been gathered from many sources,and their authenticity is guaranteed by giving the name of theauthority whence they were taken, in very many instancesipsissima verba, as paraphrasing would rob them of theirfreshness and individuality. All the illustrations arecontemporaneous, and, good or bad, belong to the text and shouldnot be altered.
JOHN ASHTON.
p.ixCONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. | ||
1837 | The Queen’sAccession—Proclamation—Funeral of the King—TheQueen and Social Functions—Mr. Montefiore—AmusingLetter—Electric Telegraph—Knocker-wrenching:Amusements of the Young Aristocracy | |
CHAPTER II. | ||
| Thames Tunnel Flooded—First Mention of the NelsonColumn—Sale of the King’s Stud—Marriage byRegistrar—Commencement of New Houses ofParliament—Lunatics and the Queen—The Queen’sVisit to the Guildhall—Lord Beaconsfield’s MaidenSpeech | ... |