1796. 
do not die in alphabetical order. But, fir, 
that an alphabet is neceffary, in order to 
find them out after they are dead, you 
may be convinced of, if you will only 
look into thgt grand depot of berefy and 
fchifm, Bunhill-fields burial ground. 
There the walls have degrees marked 
upon them, like a map; and if you with 
to fet fail for your anceftor, you muft 
find out his parallel of latitude in a 
cemeterical grammar, kept on purpofe. 
So much for arrangement. 
His more important objection feems to 
be “ infipidities of private families, and 
tedious details of local antiquities.”’ Now, 
fir, let me only afk you, how, and in 
what manner,we can make a folso volume, 
without the hiftories of private families, 
and details of local antiquities? And 
unlefs we make a folio volume, how can 
we pretend to rank with illuftrious to- 
pographers? He calls them infipidities. 
Alas! fir, what is infipid to one man, Is 
marvelloufly favory to another. De 
guftibus non difputandum. Why does the 
poet fing fo pathetically, 
Full many a flow’r is born to blufh unfeen, &c. 
and yet, when we Topographers en- 
deavour to raife this flower into notice, 
we are, forfooth, to be called infipid and 
tedious? No, fir; how can we render 
the Hiftory of a Parifh complete, without 
tracing it as far back as hiftory ‘will 
enable us? and hiftory, with the aid of 
conjecture, will do much. 
we frequently have tradition on our fide, 
and a more fertile refource | know not. 
When we have finifhed its ancient hif- 
tory, we come to the modern; and here 
we give an account of all the large man- 
fions in the parifh, ftate where the roads 
are now, and where they were formerly, 
and enter into a detail of agricultural 
curiofities. Is it nothing, fir, to know, 
who firft planted potatoes, and who’ firft 
made acucumber bed; and having found 
this, fhall we neglect to make honourable 
mention of fuch benefactors? Suppofe 
we difcover, that the firft perfon who 
drank tea in this parifh, was John ‘Tom- 
linfon, farmer; William Sparks, fon to 
the parith clerk; Humphrey Sparks, a 
parifh clerk himfelf; and Dorothy Ro- 
gers, widow ; and that tradition informs 
us, that this memorable event took place 
anno domini 1703. 
Now, fir, confider what G.D. would 
call being ¢edious in this cafe. Why, fir, 
what he calls tedious, is nothing more 
than the anxious and indefatigable atten- 
tion which we pay to the real ftate of a 
Importance of Topographical Hifforiese 
If both fail, 
“into certaimty. 
530. 
fact. I fhall give you this very circum- 
ftance as a fact, which | find in my 
manufeript hiftory of the parifh of 
‘Bromley, near Bow, co. Middletex,which 
I am about to publith in two volumes 
folio. It occurs p. 2493, vol. il. 
‘* Of a fact thus decifiveiy related, it 
would become me to {peak with refpect, 
had I not too frequently found, that the 
vanity of a villager is prolific in circum- 
{tances of celebrity, and that the avidity 
of relation is feldom curious after the 
origin of tradition. That John Tom- 
linfon might drink tea, as an abttraét 
fact, may be allowed; but the concomi- 
tant circumftances are either involved in 
obfeurity, or may be eclipfed by fufpi- 
cion. If he was agfarmer, as here ftated, 
how many acres of ground did he culti- 
vate; what rent did he pay ; and what 
produce did they afford? In the reign of 
queen Ann, we know that the villages 
in the vicinity of London were obfcure, 
and that the Eaft India Company was 
young, ‘That tea was expenfive, will 
not be doubted; for it was confidered, 
for many years, as a fuitable prefent for 
men of opulence, who muft be compli- 
mented by excels, and for men of power, 
who muft be courted by what is fcarce. 
It affords an argument, that fuch a man 
as John Tomlinion, exifted. -Of his ex- 
iftence, I have diffipated all fufpicion, 
by proving (Vol. il. p. 1978) at confide= 
rable length, that I. T. on a headftone, 
near the north-weft corner of the 
church, belongs to him; that Jane Bur- 
roughs, fpinfter, was his firft wife, by 
whom he had fix fons, and two daugh- 
ters ; [ here follows a biographical notice 
of thefe, particularly of Richard, the 
fecond fon, who rofe from a_ barber’s 
boy, to be twice churchwarden, and 
once was candidate for the office of com- 
mon councilman of the ward of Port- 
foken.] Thefe difficulties, therefore, 
being obviated, we muft full doubt the 
general fact. 
‘¢ Tt would, however, ill become a 
hiftorian to leave his readers in the dark, 
as to a matter of fo confiderable import- 
ance. Fidelity ought unqueftionably to 
be the firft objeét, but information is of 
as high importance. My refearches on 
this fubjeét have been unremitting, and 
I. hope, not unfuccefsful. At moft, 
indeed, what I haye obtained, amounts 
but to conjecture; but it is fuch cons 
jJeéture, as future hiftorians may improve 
It appears to me, there- 
fore, that the difficulty may be folved in 
two ways. Firft, I fufpedt, from looking 
aN more 
