ofA Be] 
STEPHENSIANA. 
| March 1, 
No, VI. 
The late ALEXANDER STEPHENS, Esq. of Park House, Chelsea, devoted an active 
and well-spent life in the collection of Anecdotes of his contemporaries, and generally 
entered in a book the collections of the passing day ;—these collections wehave purchased, 
and propose to present a selection from them to our readers. As Editor of the A nnual 
Obituary, and many other biographical works, the Author may probably have incor- 
porated many of these scraps ; but the greater part are unpublished, and all stand alone 
as cabinet pictures of men and manners, worthy of a place in a literary miscellany. 
——_>——_- 
RIDGWAY'S. 
es some years I accustomed my- 
self to a morning’s stroll from 
Chelsea, to Ridgway’s, in Piccadilly. 
He is a considerable dealer in newspa- 
pers and political pamphlets, and as a 
eopy of every newspaper of the day lay 
upon the counter, and his shop is pro- 
vided with a fire and chairs, others be- 
sides myself strolled there, and here, 
therefore, was to be seen and heard 
something of the active world. 
There were politicians by habit and 
profession, men of letters, men in and 
out of place, editors of papers, mem- 
bers of parliament, occasionally peers, 
and all met upon terms of equality, 
talked with freedom, and seldom al- 
lowed differences of opinion to create 
ill blood. 
Till he became too infirm, DAVID 
WILLIAMS used to keep'a regular 
chair from 11 till 3, and although 
he. had an imposing manner and acom- 
muning physiognomy, yet I always 
thought he had beeu over-rated by the 
Brissotines, and held a general reputa- 
tion above his real powers. His per- 
son and manner constituted in truth, 
his chief recommendation, for he was a 
slow thinker, and a feeble writer when 
unaided. 
The Rev. Mr. Este united to great 
knowledge of the world, a lively wit, 
which relieved the sombre of Williams, 
and the common-place of some others 
in our regular groupe. 
I never learnt more from any indivi- 
dual than JoHN NICHOLLS, many 
years an M.P. whose enlightened mind 
atoned for a defect in his sight, and 
whose stores of anecdote seemed inex- 
haustible. : 
The venerable MAJOR CARTWRIGHT 
often graced our circle and inspired 
our respect in spite of the extremity to 
which he pushed some principles which 
are thought unconzenial with the spirit 
of eur constitution. While, however, 
such virtuous men as he espouse any 
cause, it must, and perhaps ought to 
have advecates. 
These booksellers conversaziones are 
pleasanter even than the club houses, 
where the same faces are always col- 
lected, and where party feeling and 
family distinction interfere with ease 
and freedom. I remember that at Al- 
mon’s. where I used to see Fox, Nor- 
folk, Wilkes, Burke, Barré, and others 
of equal note— and that at Debrett’s, 
frequented for many years by men of 
the highest rank and most splendid re - 
putation. Debrett, however, failed, 
and his shop being closed—the habits 
of his visitors changed, and Ridgway’s 
is now the place of rendezyous, but his - 
shop is too small for the accommoda- 
tion required. . It is, however, plea- 
sant, and here I have been often grati- 
tified, and have formed some valuable 
acquaintances. Such shops in my time 
have been what certain coffee houses 
were in the days of the Spectator. 
INGENIOUS ROBBERS. 
Tn India there is a class of robbers 
called the Gidias, who are very expert 
in imitating the cries of different ani- 
mals, and covering themselves with 
their skins, toelude the pursnit of jus- 
tice. They often follow the camps, 
and with singular address contrive to 
steal out of the tents. Sometimes they 
attack and murder parties of the mili- 
tary escorting money. Ifa house is to 
be plundered, all the approaches to it 
are intercepted, and any individual 
found near it massacred without mercy. 
The English company has cleared its 
provinces of most of them, but some 
few yetremain, and from time to time 
bands of them will issue from the Mah- 
ratta States, and overrun the territories 
of the company. 
INDIAN CUSTOMS. 
A late voyager in India observes 
that he one day saw a company of Las- 
cars at table, and that before they be- 
gun their dinner, the cook threw some 
spoonfuls of ricé into the sea, pro- 
nouncing 
