MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 
motley group of sharpers, mer- 
chants’ clerks, kept mistresses, idle 
men, and nervous women. I 
have been accustomed to be nice 
in my choice of acquaintance, es- 
pecially for my family ; but the 
greater part of our connexions 
here, are such as we should be 
ashamed to acknowledge any where 
else, and the few we have seen 
above ourselves will equally dis- 
claim us when we meet in town 
next winter. As to the settled 
inhabitants of the place, all who 
do not get by us view us with 
dislike, because we raise the price 
of provisions ; and those who do, 
which, in one way or other, com. 
prehends all the lower class, have 
lost every trace of rural simplicity, 
and are versed in all the arts of low 
cunning and chicane. The spirit 
of greediness and rapacity is no 
where so conspicuous as in the 
lodging-houses. At our seat. in 
the country, our domestic con. 
cerns went on as by clock-work; 
a quarter of an ho in a week 
settled the bills, and few trades- 
men wished, and none dared, to 
practise any imposition where al] 
were known, and the consequence 
of their different behaviour must 
have been their being marked, 
for life, for encouragement or for 
distrust. But here the continual 
fluctuation of company takes away 
all regard to chara¢ter; the most 
respectable and ancient families 
have no influence any farther than 
as they scatter their ready cash, and 
neither gratitude nor respect are 
felt where there is no bound of mu- 
tual attachment, besides the ne- 
cessities of the present day. I 
should be happy if we had only to 
jcontend with this spirit during our 
present excursion, but the effect it 
Vor, XXXVIII, 
{481 
has upon servants is most perni~ 
cious. Our family used to be re. 
markable for having its domestics 
grow grey in its service, but this 
expedition has already corrupted 
them ; two we have this evening 
parted with, and the rest have 
learned so much of the tricks of 
their station, that we shali be 
obliged to discharge them as soon 
as we returnhome, In the country, 
I had been accustomed to do good 
to the poor; there are charities 
here too; we have joined in a sub- 
scription for a crazy poetress, a 
raffle for the support of a sharper, 
who passes under the title of a 
German Count, and a benefit play 
for a gentleman on board the 
hulks. Unfortunately, to balance 
these various expences, this place, 
which happens to be a great resort 
of smugglers, affords daily oppor. 
tunities of making bargains. We 
drink spoiled teas, under the idea 
of their being cheap, and the little 
room we have is made less by the 
reception of cargoes of India 
taffeties, shawl-muslins, and real 
chintzes. All my authority here 
would be exerted in vain; for, I 
do not know whether you know it 
or no, the buying of a bargain is 
a temptation which it is not in the 
nature of any woman to resist. I | 
am in hopes however, the business 
may receive some little check from 
an incident which happened a little 
time since: an acqwaintance of 
our’s returning from Margate, had 
his carriage seized by the Custom. 
house officers, on account of a 
piece of silk, which one of his 
female cousins, without his know. 
ledge, had stowed in it; and it 
was only released by its being 
proved that what she had bought 
with so much satigfaftion as con- 
Ts trakand, 
