458 



EGERTON EGREMONT. 



circles, and consequently much more convenient. 

 He found his way to this improvement entirely hy 

 his own experience and sagacity ; as, indeed, he may 

 be said to have done in regard to all the knowledge 

 which he possessed in his art. Even his princi- 

 ples of common masonry, he used himself to declare, 

 he had learned chiefly from his studies among the 

 ruins of an old Gothic castle in his native parish. 



Edwards wns likewise a farmer to the end of his 

 days. Such, moreover, was his unwearied activity, 

 fli.it, not satisfied with his week-day labours in 

 these two capacities, he also officiated on the Sab- 

 bath as pastor to an Independent congregation, 

 having been regularly ordained to that office when 

 he was about thirty years of age, and holding it 

 till his death. He accepted the usual salary from 

 his congregation, but returned it all, and often 

 much more, in charity to the poor. He always 

 preached in Welsh, though early in life he had 

 made himself acquainted with the English lan- 

 guage. He died in 1789, in the seventieth year of 

 his age, leaving a son who inherited his abilities. 



EGERTON, DANIEL, formerly of Covent Gar- 

 den Theatre ; was born in London on the 14th of 

 April, 1772. His paternal name was Bradstock; 

 and he was originally a clerk in the court of re- 

 quests at Whitechapel, which he abandoned to join 

 the Royal Theatre after Palmer retired from its 

 direction. He made his debftt at Birmingham, on 

 the 4th of June, 1799, as Captain Absolute in 

 " The Rivals," and he continued there for the two 

 following summers, passing the intermediate win- 

 ters with Mr Stephen Kemble in Edinburgh, who 

 transferred him to the boards of Newcastle-upon- 

 Tyne, where he first appeared in Nov. 1801. Two 

 years after, he accepted an engagement at Bath, 

 where he made his first appearance for the benefit 

 of Mrs Edwin, in May, 1803, as Frederick Bram- 

 ble, in Colman's comedy of the " Poor Gentle- 

 man." On Elliston's final secession from the Bath 

 Theatre, the field was left open to Mr Egerton, 

 Ivho led the business of that establishment for the 

 next six years, until, in 1809, he was engaged at 

 Covent Garden Theatre, and made his appearance 

 there in Oct. as Lord Avonmore, in Morton's 

 comedy of the " School of Reform." Here he dis- 

 tinguished himself by great assiduity, and became 

 favourably established for many years, and in the 

 summer season rented and superintended the per- 

 formances at Sadler's Wells. About three years 

 before his death, he withdrew himself from Covent 

 Garden, and embarked with Mr Abbott, formerly 

 of the same theatre, in the management of the Co- 

 bourg. The speculation, however, failed ; and by 

 it Mr Egerton not only sacrificed the hard earnings 

 of a long career, but, to extricate himself from the 

 difficulties in which it involved him, he was com- 

 pelled to take the benefit of the insolvent act, 

 which, it is supposed, helped to accelerate his 

 death, which took place at Chelsea, in July, 1835. 

 His only dependence at his decease was a pension 

 of 75 from the Covent Garden Theatrical fund, 

 of which he was for many years secretary. 



EGGS, (a.) A large number of the eggs con- 

 sumed in London are brought from France, chiefly 

 from the department of the Pas de Calais, which 

 is opposite to the coasts of Kent and Sussex. A 

 writer in a newspaper printed at Arras, the capital of 

 the department, recently made strong complaints of 

 the dearness of eggs in that part of France, and after 

 remarking that the immense quantity sent over to 

 England was the cause of the high price, he entered 



into the following calculations as lo the value of 

 this branch of trade: "Out of 72,000,000 of 

 eggs annually imported into England from France, 

 Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries, 

 France contributes 55,000,000. Calculating the 

 first cost at about 4id. per dozen, England pays 

 annually to France for eggs about 77,000. Sup- 

 pose the freight, the profit of the importer and re- 

 tail dealer, the import duties, the loss by breakage 

 and other damage, to increase the price to about 

 Is. 3d. per dozen, the total amount paid by con- 

 sumers of French eggs in England will be no le.~s 

 than 192,000." The price of French eggs in 

 the shops in London is greatly exaggerated in this 

 statement, and the French writer has mis-stated 

 the total quantity imported, though he is perhaps 

 correct as to the number imported from France. 

 From an official account, we perceive that the im- 

 portation of eggs from all parts in the year ending 

 January 5th, 1837, was 69,000,000 ; and the duty 

 of Id. per dozen produced so large a sum as 

 24,048. In 1820 the quantity of eggs imported 

 was 31,000,000, the duty being the same as at pre- 

 sent, and yielding a revenue of 11,077. In 1H27 

 the importations were nearly as great as during 

 1834 and 183G, which were the highest years of 

 importation for eggs which have yet occurred. 

 These 69,000,000 of eggs cannot be obtained from 

 much fewer than 575,000 fowls, each producing 

 120 eggs on an average, all beyond this number 

 being required for domestic consumption. Assum- 

 ing the grounds of this calculation to be correct, 

 the 55,000,000 eggs supplied by France are the 

 production of 458,333 fowls, each of which fur- 

 nishes ten dozen eggs, imported at a duty of 10d., 

 being a tax to that amount on each fowl. 



" In 1813," says M. Legrand, " the number of 

 eggs exported from France was 1,754,140. Be- 

 tween 1816 and 1822 the numbers exported rose 

 rapidly from 8,733,000 to 55,717,500, and in 1834 

 the number had increased to 90,441,600. In 1835, 

 76,190,120 were exported for England, 60,800 for 

 Belgium, 49,696 for the United States, 42,960 for 

 Switzerland, 34,800 for Spain, and 306,304 to 

 other parts of the world. The total amount ot 

 the exportations for that year was 3,829,284 francs. 

 The consumption in Paris is calculated at 1 15g 

 eggs per head, or 101,152,400. The consumption 

 in other parts of France may be reckoned at double 

 this rate, as in many parts of the country dishes 

 composed of eggs and milk are the principal items 

 in all the meals. The consumption of eggs for 

 the whole kingdom, including the capital, is esti- 

 mated at 7,231,160,000; add to this number those 

 exported and those necessary for reproduction, and 

 it will result that 7,380,925,000 eggs were laid in 

 France during the year 1835." 



EGREMONT, EAKL OF. The Right Hon.George 

 O'Brien Wyndham, third Earl of Egremont and 

 Baron Cockermouth (1749,) and the sixth Baronet 

 (of Orchard Wyndham, Somersetshire, 1661). 

 F.R.S. and F.S.A.,wasbornDec. 18,1751. Hesuc- 

 ceeded to the peerage when a child, by the death 

 of his father, Aug. 21, 1763. His education was 

 at Eton. The heir to a splendid fortune,* which 

 was much augmented during his minority, the earl 

 of Egremont, from his earliest years, displayed that 



* It is stated that, when the earl succeeded to the title and 

 estates, the rental amounted to not quite 45,000 per annum, 

 which at the time of his decease had been increased to 81.000 

 annually. In the last sixty years he had distributed in acts of 

 charity and liberality the immense sum of 1,200,000, or about 

 .20,000 yearly. 



