266 



AYLESBURY AYLSHAM. 



gone to tee an automaton, I should have believed 

 the object before me to have been endowed with 

 life and reason, so perfectly natural and easy were 

 the attitudes and expression of countenance of the 

 figure. I had but little time for observation before 

 the orchestra was filled by musicians, and, on the 

 leader taking his seat, the figure in>tuntly raised it- 

 self erect, bowed with much elegance two or three 

 times, and then, turning to the leader, nodded, s 

 if to say he was ready, and placed his violin to his 

 shoulder. At the given signal, he raised his how, 

 and, applying it to the instrument, produced, a la 

 Paganini, one of the most thrilling and extraordin- 

 ary flourishes I ever heard, in which scarcely a 

 semi-tone within the compass of the instrument 

 was omitted, and this executed with a degree of 

 rapidity and clearness perfectly astonishing. The 

 orchestra then played a short symphony, in which 

 the automaton occasionally joined in beautiful 

 style ; he then played a most beautiful fantasia in 

 E natural, with accompaniments, including a move- 

 ment allegro mollo on the fourth string solo, which 

 was perfectly indescribable. The tones produced 

 were like any thing but a violin, and expressive 

 beyond conception. I felt as if lifted from my 

 seat, and burst into tears, in which predicament I 

 saw most persons in the room. Suddenly he struck 

 into a cadenza, in which the harmonics double and 

 single, arpeggios on the four strings, and saltos for 

 which Paganini was so justly celebrated, were in- 

 troduced with the greatest effect ; and after a close 

 shake of eight bars' duration, commenced the coda, 

 a prestissimo movement played in three parts 

 throughout. This part of the performance was 

 perfectly magical. I have heard the great Italian, 

 I have heard the still greater Norwegian, I have 

 heard the best of music, but I never heard such 

 sounds as then saluted my ear. It commenced p 

 p p, rising by a gradual crescendo to a pitch be- 

 yond belief; and then by a gradual motendo and 

 colendo died away, leaving the audience absolutely 

 enchanted. Monsieur Marreppe, who is a player 

 of no mean order, then came forward amidst the 

 most deafening acclamations, and stated, that, 

 emulated by the example of Vaucanson's flute- 

 player, he had conceived the project of construct- 

 ing this figure, which had cost him many years of 

 study and labour before he could bring it to com- 

 pletion. He then showed to the company the in- 

 terior of the figure, which was completely filled 

 with small cranks, by which the motions are given 

 to the several parts of the automaton at the will 

 of the conductor, who has the whole machine so 

 perfectly under control, that Monsieur Marreppe 

 proposes that the automaton shall perform any 

 piece of music which may be laid before him within 

 a fortnight. He also showed, that, to a certain 

 extent, the figure was self-acting, as, on winding 

 up a string, several of the most beautiful airs were 

 played, among which were ' Nel cor piu," ' Partant 

 pour la Syrie,' ' Weber's last waltz," and ' La ci 

 darera la mano,' all with brilliant embellishments. 

 But the chefd'auvre is the manner in which the 

 figure is made to obey the direction of the con- 

 ductor, whereby it is endowed with a sort of semi- 

 reason." 



AYLESBURY ; a market-town and parish in 

 the county of Buckingham, the former distant from 

 London thirty-eight miles north-west. The town 

 stands in the rich tract of land called the vale of 

 Aylesbury, which extends from Thame in Oxford- 

 shire to Leighton in Bedfordshire. The houses 



are chiefly built of brick, the streets are irregula* 

 but well paved, and lighted with oil, and the sup- 

 ply of water is good. The county-hall is a hand- 

 some brick edifice, erected in 1723, in whic.li the 

 quarter-sessions and Lent a->i/.e.s are held. The 

 market-house is a modern building, constructed on 

 the model of the Temple of the Winds, at Athens. 

 The principal manufacture is that of lace, and 

 many of the inhabitants are supported by breeding 

 young ducks for the London marki-t, whirl, they 

 contrive to bring forward in the middle of winter, 

 when they are rare, and bear a very hijjh price. A 

 market for corn and provisions, held on Sat n relay, 

 is well attended. The parish is a prebend ot the 

 same name in the cathedral church of Lincoln ; the 

 living is a discharged vicarage in the archdeaconry 

 of Buckingham and diocese of Lincoln, valued in 

 the king's books at 24 18s. Id., and in the pa- 

 tronage of the prebendary of Aylesbury. The 

 church, dedicated to St Mary, is an ancient and 

 interesting structure in the form of a cross, with n 

 low tower rising from the intersection of the nave 

 and transept, which, owing to the elevated situa- 

 tion of the tower, is seen for many miles round. 

 The Methodists, Baptists, Independents, and So- 

 ciety of Friends, have places of worship here. 

 There is a free grammar school here, which was 

 founded and endowed with 8 per annum, by Sir 

 Henry Lee. The endowment was subsequently 

 augmented by a donation of 5000, bequeathed by 

 Henry Phillips, Esq.. a native of the town ; which 

 has been invested in land producing 237 16s. 7d. 

 per annum; there are one hundred and twenty 

 boys on the foundation, fifteen of whom receive 

 instructions in the classics. In 1718, the school- 

 house, and residences for three masters were erect- 

 ed. There is a Lancasterian school, which was 

 founded by Mr John Hull, of Uxbridge; besides 

 which there are several Sunday schools in connec- 

 tion with the different congregations. A rental 

 of upwards of 300 per annum is yielded by lands 

 given in 1694 by Mr John Bedford, for the sup- 

 port of the poor and repair of the highways. The 

 minor charities are numerous, and by attracting 

 strangers have tended to increase the population. 

 The family of Brudenell Bruce takes the title ol 

 marquess from Aylesbury. There were here an- 

 ciently a nunnery, and two hospitals for lepers, 

 dedicated to St John and St Leonard, which had 

 pone into decay previously to the year KltJO. 

 Population of town and parish in 1841, 56,764. 



AYLSHAM; a market-town and parish in the 

 county of Norfolk, the former distant from Lon- 

 don 118 miles north-east; from Norwich. 13. The 

 town stands on the southern bank of the river Bure, 

 which has been rendered navigable for craft of four- 

 teen tons from hence to Yarmouth. The living is a 

 rectory in the archdeaconry and diocese of Nor- 

 wich, valued in the king's books at 17 9s. 9d., 

 and in the patronage of the dean and chapter of 

 Norwich. The church, dedicated to St Michael, 

 is a spacious structure in the decorated style ot 

 English architecture, consisting of a nave, two 

 aisles, two transepts, a square tower, and a small 

 spire. It contains a curious and richly sculptured 

 font, and some curious ancient ornaments, with a 

 modern one to Humphrey Reptoun, a writer on 

 gardening and architecture who resided in this 

 town. The church was erected in the 14th cen- 

 tury by John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, the 

 court of whose duchy was held in this town, the 

 land of which and of the parish is chiefly held by 



