290 OLD WEST SURREY 



At breakfast, they consumed half a sheep, half a lamb, 

 ten pullets, twelve chickens, seven dozen eggs, and the con- 

 tents of two large salad beds ; washed down by a gallon of 

 brandy and two gallons of mulled claret. 



At dinner, a few hours later, they devoured three stone 

 weight of ribs of beef, a fat sheep, a lamb, two loins of veal, 

 eight capons, ten rabbits, three dozen of sack and a dozen 

 of Bordeaux ! 



Truly, if old John Evelyn's servant described the bar- 

 barous ways of these Russian visitors to his master's place 

 at Deptford as ' right nasty,' he might equally have called 

 their feeding at Godalming ' right gluttonous.' 



Another interesting record of the manner in which the 

 air of Godalming stimulated ravenous appetite in persons 

 of high degree reads thus : — 



' About fifty years ago, two English dukes stopped at 

 this inn to change horses. Two mutton-chops and a bottle 

 of claret were taken out, which they ate sitting in the 

 carriage. But either the fare was so good or the dukes 

 were so hungry, that they did not proceed till they had 

 devoured thirty-six chops and quaffed ten bottles of claret.' 



This paper may presumably have been written about 

 the year 1840, though it is not dated : neither is the identity 

 of the dukes disclosed. 



Let us hope that the ' King's Arms ' keeps up its charac- 

 ter as to the appetising quality of the products of its kitchen 

 and cellar. 



In the old days it was no uncommon thing to see a 

 coach carrying sixteen jolly sailors — four inside and tw r elve 

 out — paid off from a man-of-war that had been three or 

 four years at sea, on their way to London to spend their 

 money. But, as one of my old friends said significantly : 



