[ 474 ] . [May, 



journal of two missionaries, 

 despatched by a committee of fashion to civilize the barba- 

 rous tribes of walworth and newington butts. 



Mr. Secretary : — Pursuant to your directions of July 28th 1826,we 

 set out on our perilous expedition towards the remote countries lying 

 east of Westminster Bridge. As the party who, under the guidance of 

 Messieurs Barrow and Croker of the Admiralty (see London Magazine), 

 lately explored Russell Squai-e, had partially failed in consequence of the 

 difficulty of procuring an adequate intei'preter, we resolved to supply 

 ourselves with that article, and accordingly engaged a native who had 

 quitted his country some years since, and spoke west-end English with 

 very respectable facility. Nothing of moment occurred till we reached 

 Westminster Bridge, where we found the symptoms of civilization 

 growing more and more rare ; and though now and then we fell in with 

 an inhabitant shapeless, and consequently fashionable, yet he was 

 evidently a mere passing traveller homeward or outward bomid, as 

 business or curiosity might lead. On crossing the river which divides 

 the two countries, we found ourselves enveloped in fog, through which 

 every now and then glimmered a small scant light, which, our interpreter 

 assured us, proceeded from a custom which the bai-barians have for years 

 adopted of pipe-smoking. As we advanced on our journey the fog 

 turned to a drizzling rain, brought on by a strong wind from the south- 

 west, which, combined with the successive volumes of vulgar clouds that 

 hovered about three feet above our heads (collected from the Lambeth 

 lowlands or marshes), made us somewhat regret our expedition, more 

 especially when our interpreter informed us that the barbarians, at all 

 times bigotted, were jealous of the intrusion of a stranger, and were 

 even reported to be cannibals. This, however, we afterwards found to 

 be false. 



On our arrival at an uncouth sf)ot called the Obelisk, we discovered 

 (not without alarm) that we were fast approaching the borders of the 

 most barbarous of all the tribes, viz. the Wahvorthians. Here we were 

 assailed by a novel variety of screams, somewhat resembling our own 

 vernacular tongue. Struck by so unusual a circumstance as the sounds 

 of our beloved language in countries so far removed, we applied to our 

 interpreter for information, and were told that a few years since some 

 adventurous mechanics from Bond Street had formed a colony there, 

 and that it was most probably their descendants whom we now listened to. 

 At two o'clock p. m., we came in sight of a savage-looking temple 

 dedicated to Bacchus, the tutelary deity of the place, and whom the 

 pagan tribes worship with sincerest veneration. This we were told was 

 called " The Elephant and Castle ;" but on referring to our charts we 

 found it laid down considerably to the southward : a clear proof how- 

 little the accounts of preceding travellers through these unexplored 

 regions are to be relied on. As we entered the temple we were half- 

 sutftji'ated by the smells (burnt-oiferings, we suppose) that proceeded 

 from it. The barbarians were all seated in their respective pews, which, 

 by the bye, bear some slight resemblance to the partitions at Stephens' 

 Hotel, busily engaged in blowing certain clouds from their mouths, 

 intended to be offered up as incense to heaven. One barbarian with a 

 dimpled nose, was exceedingly intent on swallowing something which 



