CHAPTER XXIII.

THE STEINE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.

No part of Brighton has undergone so many changes during the last century as the Steine, which was at first the drying-ground for fishermen's nets and the "laying-up" place for such boats as were not in use at particular fishing seasons of the year. The term Steine is of Flemish origin, and is derived from _Ein_, _Stein_, or _Steen_, a rock, as at the time when the town received its Flemish colony, the southern extremity of the valley in which Brighton lay was edged and protected from the sea by a ledge of chalk rocks, and from these the name Steine, or rocky, was given to the field or meadow, which was called the Steine Field. The word is generally, but erroneously written Steine, in conformity with the old corrupt spelling of the Normans and Normanized English in this country. "The final _e_," says Paul Dunvan, "which our ancestors borrowed from the French language, was apposite to the genius and usage of the Saxon and Teutonic: and in the modern English language, the use of it is admissible in words of Saxon origin, only to denote the elongation of the preceding vowel, or the liquidity of the letter _g_. The obvious power, therefore, of the dipthong _ei_ makes the attendance of this Norman lackey after the Teutonic noun, Stein, or Steen, totally unnecessary." The addition of the final _e_ is a modern innovation, as on the Court Rolls of a Court Baron, held for the Manor of Brighthelmston-Lewes, is the following entry:--"March (27 Elizabeth) it is ordered, that no hog go unringed on the Stein, where nets lie, under a penalty of eight-pence _toties quoties_."

In 1779, according to a map of that date, the only building on the east side of the Steine, was Thomas's Library; just to the north-west of which, on the grass, was a slight erection much after the style of the judge's stand at races. This structure was the orchestra, in which the town band, of three performers, discoursed their music under their leader, Mr. Anthony Crook, whose instrument was the trombone. The side of the hill whereon St. James's Street, Edward Street, and the numerous streets which swell the town to the east and north-east now stand, was, "a delightful and rich tract of down, arable and pasture:" and in an old print of Brighthelmston, in 1765, reapers are represented employed in cutting and teams of oxen in carrying the crops on the ground now occupied by the Marine Parade, Grand Parade, &c. Thomas's Library was the building now modernized and in the occupation of the Electric Telegraph Company. The Steine at that period was of much larger dimensions than at present. In Godwin's rental mention is made of "the common pound of Brighthelston manor, together with a cottage and garden adjoining the said pound, situate on the Steine on the west side of East Street;" and in the same rental a bowling-green on the Steine is occasionally mentioned.

In tempestuous weather and during the winter, the boats of the fishermen were hauled up for safety on the Steine. A Diarist, dating his memorandum, Wednesday, September 8th, 1778, says, "An old well is half open among the boats; a little child has just now waddled off the Steyne towards it. I ran to prevent mischief, and succeeded.--Have remonstrated against this dangerous neglect in vain. There are one dry and two wet wells open thereabouts. When a child of fortune or two shall have been lost therein, the wells may be boarded over.--The Commissioners by the Act have sufficient powers, and collect money enough to answer its purposes; yet the Cliff-side is all along covered with rubbish, offensive to the sight and smell. Indeed, there is no occasion to search much for nuisances, obstructions, and inconveniences, in this place.--_Mem._--Since the above complaint, some loose boards have been laid across one of the wet wells."

In the time of Elizabeth, and even at a more recent date, the inhabitants were wholly supplied with water from the public wells, which were town property, under the control of the Lords of the different Manors. Thus, at a Court Baron held for the Manor of Brighthelmston-Lewes, in October (20 Elizabeth) a bye-law was made that nothing should be laid within four feet of any well within the said Manor. On the Court Rolls, also, of the same Manor, appears the following:--"April (19 Jac.) it is ordered at the Court-Leet, that a building which Richard Scrase, gentleman, has erected over the common well in the upper end of North Street, shall not convey to the said Scrase, or his heirs, any right in the said well, more than as an inhabitant." This well remained in use till within the last few years, and was known as the Unicorn Yard well, and was situate in the present space immediately in front of Blaber's eating-house, at the south end of Windsor Street. Another well was in West Street, in the water channel before the premises now occupied by Mr. Feldwick, cabinet maker. The curb of it was raised, on a brick-work platform, around which was the main watercourse of the street. About eighty years ago, in consequence of the well becoming an impediment to the increased traffic in the street, and being but little used, it was domed over, and for some years a square stone at the edge of the pavement marked its site. The other town wells still in use by means of pumps, are on the Knab; in East Street, by the Sussex Arms, formerly the Spread Eagle; in Market Street, opposite Payne's Hotel; and in Pool Valley, adjoining the Duke of Wellington Inn. The well situate just without the poultry portion of the Market, and likewise the one in Little East Street, from being put out of use by the service of the Water Company, have been closed over, as has also the great northern well which but a few years since supplied a large tank that was erected on the area between St. Peter's Church Enclosure and the Level, for the street watering service. The remaining town wells and their pumping gear, now out of use, are situate, one at the Grafton Street Police Station, and the other under the roadway at the entrance to the Pier Esplanade, at the bottom of the Steine. The pump of the last mentioned well, about forty years since, was worked by a donkey, which traversed, "on the getting up stairs" principle, the interior of a wheel that was fitted to the groyne. On a brisk March day, however, when the wind was blowing up more of the dust of that month than is proverbially required to be equal in worth with a king's ransom, while the machinery was working under the influence of the usual propelling power, Old Father Neptune, as if envious of the poor animal's dominion over the aqueous element, mounted a foaming billow and rushed into the wheel after the donkey. Neddy's good genius, who was in constant attendance upon him,--just to sharpen his appetite for work when he felt disposed for a rest,--luckily superseded the design of the mythological sovereign of the deep, by whipping-out his quadruped friend, before the turbulent king could lash around him. This increased the rage of Neptune, who, on retiring to his deep abode, bodily tore away the wheel and its fixings.

Previous to the supply from the town pumps, the water for the streets was obtained from the sea. The water carts then were of the most primitive description, and consisted of barrels on wheels, similar to those now in use for the conveyance of water upon farms. But they had in addition, fixed at the backs of them, an oblong perforated box each, for the distribution of the water, which was supplied from the barrels by pulling out plugs of wood that projected into the boxes. The barrels were filled by backing them some distance into the sea, when the water was lifted into funnels fitted to the bung holes, by a species of scoop at the end of a pole, the operator of this intelligent process the while, standing on the shafts of the carts, or Bacchus like, and hare-legged, bestriding the barrels.

The Steine then was entirely open, and was a country walk for visitors. That is to say, in the Spring, Summer, and Autumn; as in Winter time, from its then lying very hollow, the southern part was generally flooded, and in severe weather the sheet of ice which was there formed was a general rendezvous for sliding and skating. When fashion made the Steine a place of public resort, attention was paid by the town authorities, to make it in some degree, attractive. The ground was made level, and verdure was encouraged to ornament it. On it the old Duke of Cumberland, of Fontenoy, delighted to turn out the stag and hunt the bounding deer, as the place was entirely open to the full extent of the Downs; and the inhabitants were gratified with repeated spectacles of the kind, sometimes as often as twice or thrice in a season.

Sports of a less aristocratic character sometimes took place here, as the following extract from the _Morning Herald_ will verify:--

1805, September 11th.--A pony race on the Level, this morning afforded much diversion to a very numerous assemblage of spectators. After this, donkey races took place: seven started for the first heat, and what is very singular, two, on this starting, ran a _dead heat_; a circumstance, probably, with quadrupeds of this sluggish tribe, never recorded in the annals of sporting. The donkies having performed their task, the company removed to the Steyne, to the South, where _jumping in sacks_, and a jingling match kept hilarity alive for about two hours longer.

There were Jenkinses of the Press even at this period, who watched with keen eye the doings of royalty, and of the nobility, as will be seen by the following extracts:--

_Morning Herald_, August 9, 1805.--This morning, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex honoured the Steyne Promenade with their presence, and for a short time before dinner, rode on horseback. Mr. Mellish drove Lord Barrymore's curricle two or three times round the Steyne, this morning. The quartern loaf here, now sells for one shilling and six pence.

August 19th.--The Duke of Sussex rode out in an open barouche and amused himself in smoking a pipe.

The following are also extracts from a private diary kept in 1805:--

August 4th.--The Cliff Parade, from the South end of the Steine to the unfinished Crescent, displayed much genteel company this afternoon. The Cyprian Corps have much increased in number within the last two or three days. We have now _little French Milliners_ in every part of the town.

August 27th.--Townshend and Sayers, two Bow Street officers, arrived here this morning, in quest of an individual who has been guilty of a burglary in the metropolis. They had been here but a short time when the object they were in search of, in a laced livery, was descried by them in the act of crossing the Steine. They took him into custody, and having ornamented his wrists with a pair of iron ruffles, they bore him off in triumph to London.

September 19th.--About half-past one o'clock the Prince of Wales returned from a walk to the west of the Steine, to the Pavilion. His Royal Highness, who was habited in a black coat and waistcoat, and nankeen pantaloons, appeared rather lame from the recent hurt he had received in his ankle. He walked with a stick, of sufficient dimensions occasionally to bear his weight.

September 26th.--The Duke of Clarence was to-day, for a short time, on the Steine. Some of His Highness's sons are at this time here, and were under the military instructions of a sergeant of the South Gloucester Militia this morning on the Pavilion lawn.

The Steine was first partially enclosed with common hurdles; then it was partly paved and railed in. At last the present massive iron railings were erected. But not as they at present stand. They surrounded a much larger area, and the lamp-posts were the main standards, the rails being fastened in them. At that period the paving around the Steine, under the then Town Surveyor, Mr. Thomas Harman, was considered a masterpiece of the art of paving in brick. Previous to this improvement, there was no carriage road completely round the Steine, vehicles of every description, from Castle Square to Prince's Street, having to pass down the west of the Steine and Pool Valley, along at the back of the York Hotel, up the east of the Steine, and by way of the back of (now) the Telegraph Office, down St. James's Street, and then along by the eastern side of the north Steine, as posts erected across from the Castle Tavern to the Steine railings admitted only of foot-traffic, and the coaches for London and Lewes went from Castle Square by way of North Street, New Road, Church Street, &c. The road across from Castle Square to St. James's Street was effected on Easter Monday, March 31st, 1834, and appeared to be a work of magic, as the long-desired improvement had met with opposition from parties who feared the alteration would affect their interest in property from which the traffic would be diverted. The resolution was passed by the Commissioners, and on the day above-mentioned, the "trick" was done, although the opposition hastened to town to procure an injunction from the Lord Chancellor; as it so happened, that it was the Easter vacation, so his Lordship could not he approached till all the alterations had been performed. On the reinstating of the iron railings, the lamp-posts were placed at the edge of the pavement, as hitherto, half of the light from the lamps had been cast on the space within the railings, where it was not required. The posts still show the holes through which the iron railings passed when they were in their original position.

The chief modern features on the Old Steine are the statue of George IV., the Fountain, and the Russian guns. The first was put up on the 11th of October, 1828. The idea of its erection originated with a party of tradesmen, who were accustomed to assemble nightly at the King's Arms, George Street; but a subscription which remained open for more than eight years and a half did not provide the sum, 3,000, agreed to be paid Chantry for his artistic skill. The Fountain, known as the Victoria Fountain, was also erected by subscription, procured through the indefatigable exertions of Mr. Cordy Burrows, to whom also the credit is due for the planting of the Steines with flowers and trees. The Fountain was inaugurated on the 25th of May, 1846. The design of the structure was furnished by Mr. Henry Wilds, the model of the dolphins by Mr. William Pepper, and the ironwork was cast at the Eagle Foundry. The rock-work upon which the dolphins rest is formed of huge sand-stones, called in Wiltshire and Berkshire, "Grey Weathers," and breccia, or pudding-stone, which for lengthened periods had lain in Goldstone Bottom, on the Dyke Road, and fields adjacent, by many persons considered to be the remains of Druidical temples or altars. But such a notion must be fallacious, as, at a very recent date, similar accumulations of sand-stone have been dug up about the western part of Brighton, where the soil exhibits many irregularities which geologists are unable to account for. An instance of this occurred in digging out the ground for the foundation of the tower of All Saints' Church, Buckingham Place, the soil to a considerable depth at one particular spot, being so loose and treacherous that great ingenuity and care had to be observed--attended with great expense,--by Messrs. Cheesman and Son, the builders, to make the foundation secure. A stone also, of the character termed Druidical _cromlech_, was dug out while preparing for the foundation of the present Brighton Workhouse, and was used for the corner stone of the building. In excavating the ground likewise, in 1823, for laying in the gas-pipes across the Steine, from Castle Square to the corner of the Marine Parade, huge unshapen blocks of a like character were turned up. The last memento on the Steine, the Russian guns, are relics of the siege of Sebastopol.

The old maps shew a piece of water on the Steine, between the Castle Tavern and the Pavilion, formed by the spring which rose at Patcham and used to flow by the Pool--Pool Valley. In the year 1793, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Marlborough, whose house stood at the north end of the Marine Pavilion, made an arched sewer along the Steine, to carry away this water into the sea, and, in consideration of the expense and improvement, the Lords of the Manor, with consent of the homage, gave his Royal Highness and the Duke permission to rail in or enclose a certain portion of the Steine, adjoining their houses respectively, but never to build on or encumber it with any thing that might obstruct the prospect, or in any other way be a nuisance to the Steine. A barn which stood at this spot, the property of Mr. Howell, as shewn in the view of the Steine, 1765, was moved, at the request of the Prince of Wales, to the top of Church Street, into the field whereon also stood the Infantry Barracks Hospital, a wooden building that occupied the site of the Hanover Chapel Burial Ground. There were two main entrances to the sewer. One was about the centre of the road,--along which the water channel ran,--opposite the Pavilion Parade; and the other was in the roadway immediately to the east of the entrance to Castle Square from the Steine. Each was protected by a wooden railing in a triangular form. The sewer discharged itself by means of a square wooden trunk at the back of Williams's Baths, now the south front of the Lion Mansion.

In 1785-6, the first houses on the South Parade, the east side of the Steine south of St. James's Street, began to be erected, and in a few years the whole of them, as well as the extensive range of buildings which forms the North Parade, were completed.

Mrs. Fitzherbert's mansion, now the residence of W. Furner, Esq., the Judge of the County Court of this district, adjoining the present mansion of Captain Thellusson, was built in 1804. On the site now occupied by the square block of buildings that form the north-east corner of Castle Square, about forty years since, stood the Castle Tavern, which had been one of the chief rendezvous of royalty, the nobility, and the gentry. It was originally a very small house, but being considered the best in the town for a tavern, it was purchased by Mr. Shergold, who opened it under the sign of the Castle, in 1755. Such was its success, in consequence of the increase of visitors to the town, that, in 1776, Messrs. Tilt and Best joined him in partnership, and the premises were greatly extended. In 1790, the other parties having given up the business, Mr. Tilt carried on the undertaking, and he was succeeded by his widow. In 1814, Messrs. Gilburd and Harryett became the proprietors. It attained the acme of its celebrity when in the hands of Mr. Tilt, who attached to the establishment an elegant suite of Assembly and Concert Rooms, built with great taste and judgment by Mr. Crunden, of Park Street, London, in 1776. The Ball Room was rectangular, 80 feet by 40 feet, with recesses at each end and side, 16 feet by 4 feet, decorated with columns corresponding with the pilasters which were continued round the room, dividing the sides and ends into a variety of compartments, ornamented with paintings from the Admirander and the Vatican, representing a portion of the story of Cupid and Psyche, and the Aldrobrandini marriage; with air-nymphs and divers other figures, in the ancient grotesque style. The ceiling was curved, and formed an arch of one fifth of the height of the room, which was 35 feet. Over the entablature, at each end of the room, was a large painting; the one a representation of Aurora, and the other a figure of Nox. In 1814, a beautifully toned organ by Flight and Robson was erected at the north end of the room.

In the season, from August to March, Assemblies were held every Monday. These were under the management of Masters of the Ceremonies, the first of whom were, in 1805, Mr. Yart at the Old Ship, and Mr. William Wade at the Castle. They were succeeded by Mr. J. S. Forth, in 1808. He acted in the same capacity at the Old Ship and the Castle Assemblies. Lieut.-Col. Eld succeeded Mr. Forth, and at his decease, December 22nd, 1855, the office fell into disuse; in fact, for some years previous to the decease of the Colonel his services were rarely required, the progress of the age having rendered such an office null and void. The duties of the Masters of the Ceremonies consisted in watching minutely the arrival of the nobility and gentry. For this purpose he attended the Libraries and Hotels regularly once or more a-day to copy the lists of the latest visitors, at whose addresses he then called and left his card, a hint that they should enter their names in his book, which lay at the principal places of fashionable resort, and with each entry deposit a guinea with the custodian of the M.C.'s book, who received a per centage for his trouble and attention. The payment of the fee ensured a mutual recognition upon all occasions of meeting between the giver and the receiver during that visit of the donor at Brighton, and, on the occasions of balls and assemblies, he was expected to make all the necessary arrangements, and for dances provide all unprovided ladies and gentlemen with partners. Masters of the Ceremonies originated at a period when balls and routs terminated at ten o'clock in the evening, when "We won't go home till morning," had not come into vogue, but the sedan chair of "my lady" was in punctual attendance, and the fair burden was wafted home to admit of repose before midnight, and to give the sterner sex an opportunity for a carouse or a spree.

The following is an extract from a private diary:--"July 30th, 1805. This evening, at nine o'clock, the first assembly of the season, the Grand Rose Ball, was held at the Castle Inn, under the patronage of the Prince of Wales. The Ball Room is large, lofty, and noble, and commands a full view of the Steyne; looks, also, into the Pavilion Gardens, the beautiful shrubberies of which are worthy of the Royal resident. The ceiling forms an arch, and is painted to represent the rising sun. Every part of the room is ornamented with various masterly paintings of classical antiquity. It was lighted up in a superior style, suited to the dignity of the guests, with three cut-glass chandeliers, 100 lights, and forty lustres and side-lights. The Prince entered the room at half-past nine, and at ten o'clock the Ball opened."

During the erection of the Royal Stables, in Church Street, in 1809, a carpenter, who lived in Jew Street, named John Butcher, uncle to Mr. Butcher, of the present firm, Messrs. Cheesman and Butcher, chinamen, North Street, accidentally fell and injured himself. Upon his recovery, not being able to resume the heavy work of his trade, he constructed a machine of a similar make to the sedan chair, and placed it upon four wheels. It was drawn by hand, in the same manner as Bath chairs, while an assistant, when the person being conveyed was heavy, pushed behind. Its introduction was quite a favourite feature amongst the nobility, and a second fly, in consequence, was soon constructed. These two vehicles were extensively patronized by the Prince of Wales and his noble companions; and from being employed by them on special occasions of a midnight "lark," they received the name of "Fly-by-nights," and soon entirely superseded sedan-chairs, except for invalids on their conveyance to and from the Baths. Butcher, from the great success which attended his project, being desirous that his flys should have a more elegant appearance than his ability in the ornamental could effect, sent one of them, for the purpose of being repainted and varnished, to Mr. Blaker, coach-maker, Regent Street, and he, having an eye to business, purloined the design, and improved upon it by making two or three to be drawn by horses. The most remarkable vehicle of this description, for the conveyance of one passenger only, was that made for Mr. George Battcock, surgeon, who died on the 3rd of February last. It was called Dr. Battcock's "Pill Box."

When George IV. expressed a desire of converting the Castle Assembly Room into a Chapel to be attached to the Royal Pavilion, the fee simple of it was transferred to his Majesty, and as a tavern attached to a place of divine worship would be a great incongruity, the transfer of the license of the Castle was made to premises in Steine Place, the Royal York Hotel, so designated in reference to the Royal Duke, Frederick, whose permission for the name was applied for and obtained from his Royal Highness. The house was opened by Mr. Sheppard.

The Royal Albion Hotel, which has so conspicuous a position to the south of the Steine, occupies the spot whereon formerly stood Russell House, once the residence of Dr. Russell, and afterwards of the Duke of Cumberland. In 1805, it was the residence of Miss Johnson. It stood abruptly to the sea, the waves in stormy weather laving the brick boundary wall to the south. Immediately under its east wall was Haines's Repository for toys, where, too, was also an apartment in which were exhibited the wonders of the Camera Obscura. The Junction Road now occupies the site; it was a favourite lounge with visitors. The latter years of Russell House were of a remarkable character, some portion of it being devoted by its owner, Mr. John Colbatch, to copper-plate printing; while in the largest apartment the wonders of Khia Khan Khruse, the chief of the Indian Jugglers, were exhibited, in the Autumn of 1822. The building eventually had a most neglected appearance, and was pulled down. The purchase of the space then was contemplated by the town, in order to keep open the southern extremity of the Steine to the sea. Mr. Colbatch required 6,000 for it, a sum which the Town Commissioners assented to give; but after numerous delays the bargain was off, and soon the present noble building rose to shut out the southern aspect from the Steine.

In 1792, during the Revolution which deluged France in its own blood, there was a great influx of refugees from Dieppe to Brighton, to escape the savage and unrelenting fury of their persecutors. On the 29th of August, that year, the Marchioness of Beaule landed at the bottom of the Steine, having paid two hundred guineas at Dieppe, for her passage across, and even then she was under the necessity of appearing in the dress of a sailor, and as such she assisted the crew during the whole voyage, not only to disguise herself, but in order to bring with her, undiscovered, a favourite female, whom she conveyed on board in a trunk, in which holes were bored to give her air. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, with Mrs. Fitzherbert and Miss Isabella Pigot, received them on landing, and the Prince escorted them to the Earl of Clermont's, where tea was provided for His Royal Highness and twenty of his friends. On the 20th of September, two packets landed several persons of distinction, amongst whom were the Archbishop of Aix, and Count Bridges, one of the household of the hapless Louis XVI. Many priests were amongst the refugees, for the relief of whom subscriptions to a considerable amount were made, for the purpose of relieving their immediate necessities, and to enable them to pursue their journey to London. On Wednesday, October 20th, thirty-seven nuns, in the habit of their order, were landed near Shoreham from the Prince of Wales packet, commanded by Captain Burton. Their destination was Brussels, where a convent was being prepared for them. It had been intended that they should disembark at Brighton, but the roughness of the sea prevented it. Captain Burton's daughter was married to Mr. William Wigney, a north countryman, who had then recently settled in Brighton, in North Street, where he kept a linen-draper's shop. The house,--which he purchased of Lord Leslie, afterwards Lord Rother, who married Henrietta Ann, daughter of the first Earl of Chichester,--he paid for in French money, which he had received in exchange for English coin from the refugees brought over by his father-in-law. It is related of him that he was not over scrupulous in the way of business, of passing half-franc pieces for sixpences to the unwary. He was afterwards the head of the firm of Messrs. Wigney, Rickman, and Co., bankers, Steine Lane.

No part of Brighton has had a more varied character than the Steine. From being the general depository of the materials of the aborigines, for fishing, it became the place of rendezvous for the nobility and gentry, the beaux and belles delighting to promenade there, expend their small talk, and listen to the strains of the military bands which daily played upon some portion of it. Even upon Sunday afternoons, so recently as twenty-three years since, the sounds of music attracted immense crowds of the inhabitants and visitors there. Frequent innovations, however, upon its space having taken place, and the southern walks along the whole front of the town, having, by their extension and commodiousness, become the fashionable resort, the Steine has quieted down to a thoroughfare that connects the east with the west portion of the town, and there is a contentment that it shall remain an important lung of the borough.

During the agitation for the Reform Bill, when self-esteemed politicians tried their 'prentice voice upon stump oratory, the Steine was the famous arena for their eloquence. Where now, on gala days, the triple rampant dolphins, which support on their entwined tails the basins of the fountain, belave themselves, a waggon has formed the vehicle for the conveyance of political sentiments under the guise of Toryism, Whigism, Chartism, or any other ism that the whim, rage, or fashion of the day has chanced to assume.

The most memorable event on the Steine was the dinner given there on the 3rd of September, 1830, to the children of the various charity schools in the town, to commemorate the first visit of William IV. and Queen Adelaide to Brighton. Their Majesties arrived on the previous Monday, great preparations having been made for their reception, triumphal arches and other erections forming emblems of rejoicing throughout the space from the extreme north of the town, on the London Road, to the entrance of the Pavilion Grounds. Probably, now, when there is so great a facility for the transmission of large masses of people by means of the railway, the numbers of persons who came into the town on the occasion, would be considered of little moment; but then the quantity was estimated as vast, vehicles of every description arriving in the town, heavily laden with human beings, not only from all parts of the county, but even the distance of two hundred miles was not considered too great to travel in order to witness the imposing sight. For more than a week prior to the appointed day, numbers of persons had arrived in the town to ensure being present; and lodgings of every description were seized with avidity, at--to use a commercial term--long prices. The stage coaches from London,--many of which were specially placed on the road to meet the demands,--were crowded to excess at extra fares; and the vans and spring waggons--as they were termed--nightly bore heavy freights of provisions to meet the anticipated rapid consumption.

Their Majesties arrived shortly after five o'clock, and were met by the High Constable, the Clergy, and a Committee of the principal inhabitants, the children of the various schools forming a line along the route through which the royal carriages passed. The waving of handkerchiefs by the ladies from the balconies, the shouts and huzzas of the people, the roaring of cannon, the ringing of bells, the music of various bands, the tramp of horses, the rattling of carriages, the floating of hundreds of flags and banners, formed altogether a spectacle that had never been previously, nor has it been since, equalled in Brighton. The crowning feature of the day was a structure in the form of a triumphal arch, which was of vast proportions, fifty feet in height, the opening of the arch having a span of twenty-five feet, and the whole was clothed with evergreens and flowers. The top was covered with a profusion of flags and streamers, from the Hyperion frigate, then stationed at Newhaven, in the midst of which flaunted the Standard of England. A body of sailors, belonging to the Coast Blockade service, dressed in blue jackets and white trousers, were arranged pyramidically on the top, and gave a crowning character to the spectacle, as they gave three hearty cheers for the "Sailor King." They were seventy in number, supplied by Captain Mingaye, of the Hyperion. The structure was crowded with gaily dressed ladies, and the galleries of the archway were filled with the girls of Swan Downer's Charity School, and those of the National School, who at that time wore green dresses and white mob caps. In the evening the town was one blaze of light from a general illumination.

The preparations for dining the children were completed by noon on Friday. Three rows of tables, with benches on each side, were ranged round the whole area of the southern division of the Steine, which at that time was one grass plot, to which the spectators were admitted by tickets. The centre of the lawn was left entirely open, no persons being allowed upon that portion except the committee of management and the bands of the Horse and Foot Guards. At the southern extremity of this open space was a capacious marquee, erected for the accommodation of their Majesties. The interior was laid out very tastefully, and refreshments were prepared. At its entrance waved the two large town flags, supported by two of the Committee in blue sashes. Across the pavement between the two divisions of the Steine a space was boarded off, as also, across the northern division, and thence to the private entrance of the Pavilion at the north end of the Steine. At this period posts and rails skirted the outer edge of the pavement around the whole of the Steine.

The spectators began to assemble on the pavement about one o'clock, at which time the whole circumference outside the fence was belted with carriages, some of which had taken up their position at an early hour in the morning. The parade of the children to the grounds was a most pleasing sight, their general cleanliness and their appearance of health and happiness, imparting a most gratifying charm to the scene. By two o'clock the whole of the children were seated, and the amphitheatre of the Steine, gradually rising from the children at the tables to the spectators that girted them, and then on to the carriages covered with persons, and beyond that the thousands which crowded the windows, balconies, and the very roofs of the houses that bound the Steine, afforded a spectacle far more imposing than the most vivid imagination can conceive.

Precisely at two o'clock, their Majesties, accompanied by the Princess Augusta, the Landgravine of Hesse Homburgh, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, Sir Augustus and Lady D'Este, and others, came across from the Pavilion Grounds to the boarded-off avenue, where they were met by the High Constable, who had received His Majesty's commands to escort the royal party to the festive scene, where they received the respects of the Magistrates, Clergy, and Gentry. Having surveyed the scene for some time, their Majesties and suite passed along the line close to the children, frequently returning the salutations of the people with the utmost affability and condescension. Having returned to the entrance, their Majesty's bowed to the vast assemblage and withdrew, attended by their royal relatives. At that moment the regimental bands struck up the National Anthem, and shouts simultaneously burst from every lip. Even the children, whose eyes only, as yet, had been feasted, rose and mingled their shrill voices with the harmony of throats.

It was calculated that more than 60,000 persons were present to view the feeding of the youthful multitude, who, immediately on the Grace having been said by the Rev. H. M. Wagner--Vicar,--were supplied with an unlimited quantity of roast and boiled beef and plum pudding by the numerous carvers who had volunteered their services, lady waitresses with the utmost alacrity attending most assiduously upon the youthful guests. It was an occasion that formed an epoch in the life of every person present. On the occasion of the first visit of Queen Victoria to Brighton, October 4th, 1837, a similar banquet was given to the children upon the Steine.

The most celebrated public buildings of the Steine were the libraries, which were the principal resort of the visitors. The first library here was instituted by Mr. Woodgate, at the southern extremity, on the premises at present occupied by Mr. Shaw, confectioner, and others, contiguous to the York Hotel, where also was the Post Office. Mr. Woodgate was succeeded by Miss Widget, who resigned it to Mr. Bowen; after whom came Mr. Crawford, and, lastly, Mr. F. G. Fisher.

The other library was that of Mr. Thomas, after whom was Mr. Dudlow, who was succeeded by Mr. James Gregory, whose successor, Mr. Donaldson, resigned the establishment to Mr. Thomas Lucombe. Mr. Donaldson pulled down the original low building in 1806, and erected the present structure, which has however, since the carriage road has been formed in front of it, been much modernized to suit the various businesses to which the premises have been devoted.

"A Diarist," writing August 23rd, 1779, says, "There is a sort of rivalry between the two Librarians on the Steyne, as to their subscription books; which shall most justly deserve the title of the book of Numbers.--There is a constant struggle between them, which shall be most courteous; and the effects are those usually consequent upon an opposition. Sir Christopher Caustic, this morning was turning over the leaves, at Bowen's, which contains the names of the subscribers. Mr. Bowen bowed _a la Novarre_ or _Gallini_, and with offered pen and ink, craved the honour of--an additional name: this being his first season, and having been purposely misinformed by some would be witty wag; 'Sir,' said Mr. Bowen, displaying, all the time, two irregular rows of remarkably white teeth, 'yours will stand immediately after that of the Honourable Charles James Fox, Esq., and before that of Mrs. Franco, the rich Jew's lady. Esquire W--d's was to have been on the medium line, but, poor gentleman, he is unfortunately _detained_ near London, on _emergent_ business.' To what a degree was the dealer in stationery let down, when he was afterwards regularly rectified; when by explanatory notes, and critical commentations, he came to be fully informed that the individual Mr. Fox in question was not the celebrated senator of that name, but an Irish _Jontleman_, who condescends in winter to keep a chop house at the corner of the playhouse passage, in Bow Street, Covent Garden; and every autumnal season, has frequent opportunities of storming and swearing at the ladies who may have the good fortune to belong to the Brighthelmstone company of Comedians, he being sole manager thereof. And such management!--_Scarrons Rancour_, who filled all the characters in a play by himself, was a fool to him. That Mrs. Franco was, to be sure, the temporary wife of young Mr. Franco, last season, but seems at leisure this to be the temporary wife of even Mr. Bowen, if he pleases; and that poor Billy, who was the _Beau_, is confined, _custodia marcellis_, _Banco Regis_, on suspicion of debt, where he blacks shoes, cleans knives, and turns spits, for the privilege of dipping sops in the dripping-pans of poor prisoners."

"Mr. Thomas, the other librarian, must be noticed in turn. He hath been years enough practising small talk with the ladies and gentlemen upon the Steyne, and hath arrived at a surprising degree of precision in pronouncing French-English. He is now reading the newspaper to some of his subscribers, with an audible voice, and repeatedly calls a detached body of troops a _corpse_; a _tour_ he improves into a _tower_; and delivers his words in a _promiscas_ manner. It is near seven in the evening, and the widow Fussic has just waddled into his shop, with a parasol in her right, and a spying-glass in her left hand. Thomas offers her a _General Advertiser_. 'Lord bless me!' says she, 'Mr. Thomas, how damp this paper is tho' it it has come so far, and must have been printed so long since! What reason can you give for it?'--Mr. Thomas observes, considers and explains, in a most explicit manner, the cause and the effect, to the inquisitive lady, naturally speaking, as a body may say; proving to a demonstration, according to Candide, that there can be no effect without a cause; and that of course, damp papers, closely compressed, will continue damp a considerable time. In the interim, Miss Fanny Fussic stares and whispers to her brother Bobby, while he is subscribing to a raffle, that Mr. Thomas must be a most prodigious man, monstrously intelligent, and withal, that he is amazingly communicative: 'He knows but every-thing,' says she, 'and tells but every-thing he knows.'"

Another Library was also established on the Steine, on the premises which had been known as Raggett's Subscription House, at the opposite corner of St. James's Street. "In this house," writes Mr. H. R. Attree, in his Topography of Brighton, "the dice are often rattled to some tune, and bank-notes transferred from one hand to another, with as little ceremony as bills of the play, or quack doctor's draughts to their patients." This library was established by Mr. Donaldson, jun., who disposed of it to Mr. Osborne, from whom it passed to Mr. Nathaniel Turner.

Originally, beneath the balconies in front of the two first-mentioned libraries, were seats, with and without reclining backs, upon which, in genial weather, subscribers were accustomed to lounge and peruse the newspaper or the last new novel of the day. Cigars then were unknown, and short pipes had not come into vogue, so that these retreats were not disfigured with the notice "No smoking allowed," as the "weed" was not indulged in, except behind a long "churchwarden" at the tavern, where gossips nightly met to chat over the scandals of the day. Besides these retreats beneath the balconies, there were open high-backed seats, called Settles, much after the structure of rustic chairs in parks and pleasure grounds, upon various parts of the promenade around the Steine. At the bottom of the Steine, also, facing the sea, was the Alcove, a summer-house kind of building, capable of seating something like half-a-dozen persons. Bew, {200} in his diary, date, Thursday, August 26th, 1779, says, "This morning I edged away towards the Alcove, at the east end of the bottom of the Steyne, wherein were seated _two_ Elders, and perhaps, a _chaste Susanna_; at any rate, she was not naked. On my approach they departed hastily, and I joined the deserted lady--in discourse, by observing that the town was thin, and that I heard trade in general was very bad. 'Very bad, indeed, Sir,' said she; 'I suppose you are a fellow sufferer. You belong to the players, Sir, don't you?' 'My dear,' replied I, 'why should you think so?' 'Because you are seldom without a book in your hand.' 'Do few read besides players, then?'--'Yes, Sir, I beg pardon; I had another reason; but you'll excuse me.' 'Indeed I will not my dear.'--'Why then, Sir, as you advanced towards us, one of those _elderly_ gentlemen--by their discourse I believe they are parsons,--said to the other, 'Come, Sir, let us be gone, or we shall be taken off; _Mr. Diarist_ is coming this way.' 'Now, Sir, if that is your name, tho' I have never seen it yet in the play bills, was it wonderful that I should imagine you to be one of the gentlemen players.'--I assured her, nevertheless, that I was not entitled to that honour; and here you may imagine our conference ended."

Another retreat for a lounge or promenade was the Colonnade under the balcony of the library on the Marine Parade, established in 1798, by Messrs. Donaldson and Wilkes, and afterwards carried on by Mr. Pollard, and then by Messrs. Tuppen and Walker. This library, and the original two on the Steine, were not merely the resort of visitors for the purpose of literary pursuits, as their name legitimately implies, but after eight o'clock in the evening, during the Summer season, that portion of the business in connexion with books ceased, and holland blinds being drawn down to cover over the whole of the books and book-shelves, a saloon was formed that nightly attracted hundreds of _tonish_ idlers to the vocal and instrumental music that was discoursed, and to join in the raffles, similar to those that were going on at Raggett's subscription room.

Bew, in his Diary, date, Saturday, September 4th, 1799, writes,--"Every article of convenience, every trinket of luxury, is transferred by this uncertain, quick mode of conveyance. Not a shop without its rattle-trap,--rattle, rattle, rattle, morning and evening. Here may be seen,--walk in and see,--an abridgment of the wisdom of this world;--the pomps and vanities are at large, varying like yonder evanescent clouds. Observe the fond parent initiating her forward offspring in the use of the dice-box, and herself setting the example; yet may she wonder, at some future day, and think her throw in life's raffle extremely severe, that a propensity to that and similar habits should continue and increase." Fisher, in August, 1805, established a new Auction Mart in St. James's Street, that was open morning and night. The following extracts from a private diary will in some degree explain the rage which was on at those periods for this and similar virulent pastimes:--

August 2nd, 1792.--But little company stirred out to-day, on account of the intense heat of the weather. Sporting men of fashion, dashers, and blacklegs certainly assembled on the Steine, to make their bets for to-morrow's Lewes Races, where much excellent sport is expected. The other part of the day was spent mostly in Raggett's Subscription House, at Billiards, Dice, &c. _On dit._--Lady Lade is returning from Brighton in much dudgeon,--because, forsooth, Lady Jersey, she says, made _wulgar_ mouths at her yesterday on the race-ground!

July 23rd, 1805.--A very select and elegant assemblage of nobility last night paraded the Steine until a late hour. Donaldson's library, also, was very fashionably filled; and Wilks's Pic-nic Auction exhibited a blaze of rank and beauty.

August 23rd.--Wilks's bargains were in fashionable request last night, and the knock-down blows of Fisher were directed with his usual ability and effect. Fisher's New Auction Lounge was again well filled with rank and beauty this morning. A monster of the finny tribe has been exhibited in a marquee, pitched purposely for the occasion, on the Steine to-day. It is called a Star _Fish_, and is so worthy the attention of the curious that it has divided the attention of the public with _Fisher_.

August 27th.--Wilks's Auction Lounge, last night, was immensely crowded until a late hour: nor has the magnetical hammer of Fisher, at his new room, been less attractive this morning.

September 21st, 1807.--Donaldson's and Pollard's libraries have had crowded assemblages, and the game of Loo has had more than its usual number of votaries. This evening Mr Cartwright will perform at Fisher's Lounge, on the musical glasses, under the patronage of Mrs Orby Hunter.

October 8th.--Pam still possesses his original attraction, and the Belles are nightly _looed_ in his presence.--Rather a _bad_ pun that, eh?

May 9th, 1810.--Donaldson's and Walker's spacious and airy Steine and Marine Lounges have not been so interestingly decorated with rank and beauty as they have to-day appeared for many preceding months, though the amusements of one card loo, &c., are not yet there introduced. The diversion of raffling has not been permitted at either for some years past, nor will it again be allowed, so long as the Little-go Bill remains unrepealed; we may therefore conclude that the rattle of the dice will never be heard at either again.

Trinket Auctions were established when an Act of Parliament, called Mr. Vansittart's Little-go Bill, was passed, that did away with raffling at all places of public resort, as the profits to the librarians at the watering places generally, arose from these diversions, rather than from the high literary character of the books upon their shelves, or the erudite position of the persons whose names were in their subscription books because fashion ruled it so. The novelty of Trinket Auctions soon wore off, and then another pastime, under the name of Loo, was introduced. The game was very diverting in its progress, and afforded an occasion for many agreeable sallies of wit, according to the talent of the conductor of it and the disposition to replications of those about him. The Loo Sweepstakes, as they were termed, were limited to eight subscribers, and the individual stake, one shilling. The full number being obtained, a certain quantity of cards, amongst which was a Knave of Clubs, or Pam, were shuffled, cut, and separately dealt and turned: the numbers were called in rotation during the process, and that against which Pam appeared was pronounced the winner.

In September, 1810, an attempt was made to constitute the game of Loo an illegal act. For that purpose informations were lodged against Messrs. Donaldson and Walker, the proprietors of the Steine and Marine Libraries, and the case was heard at Lewes, before a full Bench of Magistrates. Mr. Courthorpe was counsel for the prosecution, and Mr. Adolphus appeared for the defendants. The only case that was argued was that of an information against Mr. Walker, founded on the 12th of Geo. II., c. 28, and which was dwelt on with much force,--such indeed as a confidence of success only could inspire--by Mr. Courthorpe. To prove that defendant had offended within the meaning of the Act, and consequently was liable to the penalty therein expressed, i.e., two hundred pounds, Mrs. White, the wife of one of the informers, was called and examined. This witness hesitated considerably in her evidence, particularly when interrogated by Mr. Adolphus, as to her motive in becoming a subscriber to the Loo amusement at Walker's and whether or not she had so acted with the solo aim and purpose of lodging an information against Mr. Walker, which she at last admitted. The substance of her evidence was "That she attended at Walker's library on the 30th of August; that she stood next to Mr. Walker on that occasion; that she heard him say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, three shillings are only wanting to complete the sweepstake for this elegant Lady's Morocco work box;' that she gave him a shilling for a chance, when he asked her in what name she would have it, and she said Mrs. Goodlove; that a lady at length shuffled and cut the cards; that Mr. Walker dealt them; that the first dealt was called Mr. Bangup; that she won Pam, and got the prize; that Mr. Walker told her she had won it, and that she was to receive seven shillings in goods, or subscribe an extra sixpence, and have two chances for another box of much superior value; that she took the prize she had won, and lost two shillings in other ventures, &c." When questioned by the Earl of Chichester, one of the magistrates, as to the real value of the prize that had been nominated at 7s., her husband whispered to her what to say; which being overheard by the Noble Earl, Mr. White was compelled instantly to quit the room, and to wait without, that he might be at hand in case he should be wanted. Mr. Adolphus (the witness being dismissed) addressed the Bench in a most able speech, concluding by producing an Act of Parliament passed in 1806, by which he clearly evinced that the present informations could not be sustained, as the said Act dispossessed magistrates of all jurisdiction and control in matters of that sort then before them. Mr. Courthorpe laboured hard, notwithstanding, to gain his point; but as his oratory had not the power to supersede an Act of Parliament, his labour was in vain. As authorities in support of the Act he produced, Mr. Adolphus was upheld by the opinion of the Attorney-General, and a decision in the Court of King's Bench. The Magistrates, from what had been brought forward by Mr. Adolphus, saw their incompetency in so strong a light, that they dismissed the business, even without hearing the reply which Mr. Adolphus was about to make to his learned friend. There were three other informations, all of which of course were withdrawn. The librarians returned home in high spirits, and the Loo parties, subsequently, and exulting in the success of the day, were more numerous than usual.

Pam, the good genius of Loo, continued to hold sway at the libraries till 1817, when the magistrates took an antipathy towards him, owing to the unbounded patronage which he received from the ladies in general. They considered him an unwelcome resident; so, by their mandate, supported by an obsolete Act of Henry VIII., he was excommunicated from all the libraries, as, at this time he had taken up his abode at Mr. T. H. Wright's Library, then just established at the south-west corner of Pavilion Street. Gradually, however, he resumed his position at the establishments of Lucombe and Tuppen; but notwithstanding the presiding influence of those two patterers and wits, assisted by Mr. Stacy, the present librarian at the Royal Albion Rooms, and Mr. Wheeler, the box book-keeper at the Brighton Theatre, the destruction of the fashionable promenade, by curtailing the Steine of its fair proportions, so distorted the throng and habit of fashion, that Pam fell into desuetude and the libraries, unsupported by him, became failures.

Five and twenty years since, Brighton abounded with libraries, Wright's, in the Colonnade, North Street, removed from the Pavilion Parade, and Eber's, in Castle Square, a branch of the London establishment, being amongst the principal of those that then existed. Furnishing food for the mind, however, was a less profitable speculation than supplying materials for the understandings, as Mr. Tozer on the former premises, and Messrs. Dutton and Thorowgood on the latter, by the sale of boots and shoes, have matured businesses that may vie with any of the same trade in the kingdom. It is somewhat remarkable, too, that a portion of the premises in Prince's Place, occupied by Mr. Lulham, boot and shoemaker, and the house in the occupation of Messrs. Sharman and Co., North Street, as a boot and shoe mart, were the library of Mr. Taylor. These facts certainly confirm the adage,--at any rate when besieged by the multitude with a civil view,--that "there is nothing like leather."

From time to time libraries of more or less pretensions have been started, either by private parties or by societies of membership; but most of them have become things of the past, which in their short lived career possessed nothing to warrant a recital of their history.

The oldest established now in existence is Mr. Folthorp's North Street Library, originally Choat's, and then Loader's. It is admirably situated, and has a supply of books, periodicals, and newspapers equalled by no other circulating library in the county. The only proprietary literary establishments, with the exception of those attached to the several places of public worship and their schools, are the Brighton Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, Albion Rooms, to which a Chess Club is attached; the Railway Library and Scientific Institution, for the use of persons employed on the railway; and the Young Men's Christian Association, in Middle Street. Some of the booksellers have a lending library connected with their businesses. The principal of these are Dollman's, Western Road, and Burrett's, Waterloo Street, Hove; Styles's, North Street, Sugg's St. James's Street, and Grant's Library and Reading Room, Castle Square. The literary character of which the Steine formerly boasted is now entirely gone, and it is content to be considered the emporium of the followers of Galen and sculapius, who as much there abound as the students of Coke and Blackstone throng Ship Street, and give that locality of quips, quirks, and the law's delays the appellation of Chancery Lane.