No. 151.] 289 



having a stall, on the ground that if he take the benefit of the mar- 

 ket, he ought to pay the duties thereon; but this, like many of the 

 early laws of England, was found to be rather arbitrary in its exac- 

 tions, and it was finally complained of and abandoned. 



It would be a labored task to make allusion to the endless variety 

 of fairs which have occurred from time to time on the eastern conti- 

 nent, yet by way of illustration, brief allusion to a few may not be 

 altogether void of entertainment. 



' The German fairs were celebrated not only on account of the great 

 trade, but for the vast concourse of princes, nobility and people who 

 came to visit them and partake of their diversions, from all parts of 

 the world.- 



An annual fair was for a long time established at Warsaw, in 

 Poland. 



An important fair was once held at Mecca, during the resort of the 

 pilgrims, in the month of Dhalhagga, and was frequented by many 

 thousands of individuals, of all ranks and orders, brought together 

 from the remotest corners of the Mahomedan world. 



A fair of some extent was held in the city of Novogorod, a great 

 emporium of the internal trade of the Russian dominions, communi- 

 cating by inland navigation with the Baltic, Black and Caspian seas. 

 It was known over all the east of Europe, and the bazaars for the 

 accommodation of visitors are said to have formed the finest estab- 

 lishment of the kind that could be imagined. The stationary popu- 

 lation of this place was from 15,000 to 16,000; but during the fair 

 was from 120,000 to 150,000, among whom might be seen Chinese, 

 Persians, Circassians, Armenians, Tartars, Bucharian Jews, and spe- 

 cimens of almost every European nation. 



To a very interesting w^ork edited by William Goodman, entitled 

 " The Social History of Great Britain," we are indebted for the fol- 

 lowing interesting account of a fair held in London, on the anniver- 

 sary of the birth of that worthy and respectable saint, Saint Bartho- 

 lomew : 



"It had its origin in the reign of Edward I., and was allowed by 

 the charter to continue three days. The popular appetite for the 

 amusements of this carnival had become so rampant, that in the 

 reign of Queen Anne, a plan was set on foot to extend the period to 



[Assembly, No. 151.] 19 



