The Merry Past 



formed a straight line from the road that passed from 

 Carlton Gate to opposite Princes Court. The distance 

 of that line from Suffolk House did not exceed thirty 

 feet, and the distance of the other end of the canal, 

 by being curved to allow persons to walk round it, 

 did not exceed forty or fifty feet. These ends of 

 the canal were within the same wooden rails which 

 surrounded the whole of the lawn ; and the rails in 

 question were supported by uprights at moderate 

 distances, which allowed anyone who chose to stoop 

 under them to get either to the grass or to the water. 

 The consequence of this arrangement was that the 

 end of the canal nearest the parade frequently be- 

 came a scene for executing rough-and-ready justice 

 upon pickpockets. When any of them were detected 

 in their evil deeds, either in the Park or streets near 

 it, the crowd, instead of sending them for trial, to 

 the watch-house, or the Old Bailey, took the .execution 

 of justice into their own hands, dragged them down 

 to the parade, and plunged them into the canal ; 

 and when they attempted to get out, the children of 

 justice repeated the plunge, till they thought they 

 had given them enough. The only chance the 

 poor wretches had to elude this correction was to 

 wade up the north side of the lawn till their tor- 

 mentors ceased to follow them, and then, getting 

 upon dry ground, run away as well as they could. 

 If they succeeded in this, they had to cross the Park 

 to that gate which allowed the best chance to escape 

 further torment ; but their dripping clothes and 

 heads showed where they had been, and unless they 



194. 



