224 
ringers,) one of another gang of similar 
persons, who had assembled before my 
door, knocked at the same, and sent 
in a printed card, which is enclosed. 
This card might perlaps aflord amuse- 
ment to some of your readers, might 
serve to record a disgracefal custom 
now existing in the British metropolis, 
and it may, perhaps, if it he made 
public, tend towards abolishing this 
custom: on which accounts, I request 
the favour that you will, when occa- 
sion serves, give it a place in your 
useful and entertaining pages ; it is as 
follows :— é 
His Majesty’s Royal Peal of ‘Marrow- Bones 
and: Cleavers of the County of Middlesea, 
instituted 1714. 
Honored Sir,—With permission, we, 
the Marrow Bones and Cleavers, pay our 
usual and customary respects, in wishing, 
sir, you and your amiakle lady joy of your 
happy marriage ; hoping, sir, to receive a 
token of your goodness,—it beivg custo- 
mary on these happy occasions. 
Sir,—We being in waiting your good- 
ness, and are all ready to perform, if re- 
quired.— Book and medal in presence to 
show. 
It was intimated, through the ser- 
vant, by the man who left this card, 
that, unless their customary fee was 
sent out, they should begin, and conti- 
nue their rough music before the house, 
as would also the drummers, with whom 
they were connected, he said, and who 
were in attendance near at hand.. My 
young friends, to whom this card and 
message were delivered, not wishing 
to be the cause of a disturbance in 
the street, had, before I knew it, sent 
out several shillings to these vaga- 
bonds; who, on enquiry, I have since 
been told, almost daily, and often at 
several places in the same day, make 
similar exactions on newly-married 
persons. 
Conceiving, sir, this practice to be 
an illegal one, would it not be a pro- 
per act of the police magistrates ‘of 
the adjoining districts, to direct a 
party of their ofticers to be in attend- 
ance, near the doors of any houses 
from whence they could learn tbat 
weddings were taking plaee, in order 
to apprehend, and. bring before them, 
the card, ‘book and medal,” bearers, 
of this and any similar gangs; to 
whom, I think, the salutary exercise 
of the tread-mill would be most appli- 
cable; as also to as many of their 
rough-music performers as should 
A Marriage Custom in London.—Trip to France. 
. 
[Oct. ¥, 
not instantly disperse, when their 
leaders were taken into'custody. 
St. Pancras; LONDINENSIS. . 
Aug. 4, 1823. 
—=_ , 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
JOURNAL of a LADY, during a recent 
~ TRIP 10 FRANCE, 
UESDAY,. July 16, 1822.—Left 
London at eight in the morning 
by Mathews’s Safety-coach; ‘arrived at 
Brighton at five in the afternoon. 
Wednesday, 17th—Went to the 
Custom-house, to have’ the passports 
and trunks examined. Left Brighton 
by the Swift steam-packet at half-past 
ten in the morning. - Our voyage was 
very pleasant till five o’clock, when a 
part of one of the wheels of the steam- 
engine broke ; all on-board were panic- 
struck: for three hours and a half we 
were detained in a state of dreadfut 
anxiety. It was about mid-way: we 
had been out of sight of land about 
three hours. There were about fifty 
persons on-board.—Hot_ dinner’ pro- 
vided at four; of which most partook. 
Our friend, Madame ——, had a bad: 
aceident in getting out of the packet, 
—her foot was crushed between the 
stnall boat and the packet; a severe 
contusion, but fortunately no bone 
was broken.. I suffered much from 
sickness, as did many others who weut 
below: the captain desired a mattress 
to be brought on deck for me, aud; as 
soon as IT Jaid myself. down, the sielk- 
ness went off; it was the only way I 
could get relief. We did not arrive off 
Dieppe till half-past two in the morn- 
ing: a fishing-boat came out to pilotus 
into harbour; French sailors on-board, 
singing a Hymn to the Virgin. Sound- 
ed the depth, and found we could not 
getin. Cast anchor, and made up our 
minds. to remain on-board all night; 
some few went on shore in the fishing- 
boat: we, with others, then wentbelow, 
into the captain’s cabin, which we 
were unwilling to do before, as there 
was no accommodation but on the 
floor. v4 
Thursday, 18th.—The tide would 
not allow of our going into harbour 
from the packet: at half-past six we 
left the packet in a fishing-boat, and 
arrived at the Hotel de I'Hurope .at 
half-past seven ; took breakfast, walk- 
ed about the town and the market: 
saw the church,—nothing remarkable 
in it, pictures very indifferent; it is, 
however, a fine building. Dieppe isa 
1 very 
4 
