1826.) Letter on Affairs in General. 69 
these, announcing an indisposition of the Princess Elizabeth, some years 
since, proclaimed, that— Her Royal Highness, the Princess, had had an 
attack of bile, which had compelled her for two days past to keep her 
Royal chamber ; but that the world would be gratified to know that she 
had gone out for an airing that morning in the Royal carriage, and had 
taken two cups of chocolate, which had remained upon her Royal 
stomach.” Our “ Morning Post” is far from unhappy in paragraphs 
of this character, though the style of its writers is occasionally am- 
biguous. It stated a few days since, as a matter of general congratu- 
lation, that the accouchement of the Duchess of some place was rapidly 
approaching ! 
Speaking ef « Court newsmen,” poor Von Weber has been buried at 
last—three weeks after his death. The impertinence of fidlers as a 
body, and still more the fulsomeness of the people who write puffs in 
the papers about them, throws an air of ridiculousness even over events 
which are the subjects of regret. ‘The moment poor Weber was dead, 
out came the manifestos for subscription! and about as much as five 
years of his reasonable income during his life, was to be “collected” for 
his funeral. One pleasant gentleman published a statement broadly hint- 
ing, that all the noblemen in the country meant to send their equipages, 
or something to that effect, to aid the procession! When the day 
came, there were three: all belonging to professional people. The 
“collection” for the Cenotaph goes on, I doubt, but slowly. But how 
afflicting would all this be to poor Weber if he could know it, 
who was a modest, ingenuous, unobtrusive man; and who would have 
sense enough, moreover, to perceive, that these trumpeters cared 
nothing about him, and were only making a sort of desperate effort to 
puff themselves. 
More “ Stocks.” Talking of «« Miss Stocks” above, puts me in mind. 
—All Oxford-street has been in an uproar for the last two days; and 
the Morning Herald newspaper has been imposed upon. A ticket linen- 
draper, it seems, of the name of “ Richardson,” keeps a shop some- 
where in the neighbourhood of the Pantheon, and writes up half-a-dozen 
names over his door—* James ’—* Mallcott,” I think, and two or three 
others—saccording to a custom among some of these traders—which have 
no connexion with his business. Well! on the 12th of June, or there- 
abouts, there appeared a long paragraph, headed “ Horrible Accident,” 
or “ Fatal Catastrophe,” or somethimg to that effect, in the Morning 
Herald ! which described “ Mr. Mallcott, of Oxford-street, linen-draper, 
and so forth ;” and « Mr. James, of Oxford-street, his partner, also linen- 
draper, and so forth,” going “ up the water,” on the preceding evening, 
to Vauxhall! with a party of ladies—two flutes and a hurdy-gurdy—and 
every other appliance to a regular “ gala.” If they had listened to the 
advice of Plato, who counsels people never to go any where by water when 
it is possible to go by land, and returned to town by the way of Lambeth 
and Kennington-lane, they might have gone safe all to just such another 
excursion, in just such another summer! But, as it was, rowing home- 
ward along the Surrey shore, between the Bishop’s palace and West- 
minster, one of the party suddenly cried out that “he saw a flounder,” 
and the rest naturally all jumped up to look. The boat was overset, and 
swamped! Mr. Mallcott, being a powerful man and a bold swimmer, 
Reppily succeeded in saving sixteen or seventeen of the ladies! But Mr. 
James—the half of a cold pigeon-pie! and the hurdy-gurdy—weni down 
to rise no more! Now all this lamentable detail, which was given at 
great length in the Herald, and copied into various other newspapers, of 
