The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures 8

The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures 8

His pecuniary embarrassments became deeper and darker every year.

Even in the midst of his abundant dissipation he worked hard in the

mornings--certainly he covered with his MS. more paper than would

have proved, in almost any other man's case, the energetic exertion

of every hour in every day that passed over his head; and little did

his fine friends understand or reflect at what an expense of tear and

wear he was devoting his evenings to their amusement.

 

About a month before his decease he wrote to Mr. Barham, whom he

requested to run down to Fulham and see him, as he was too ill

to leave home himself; and of the interview which ensued we are

enabled to give a somewhat full account, committed to paper shortly

afterwards, and evidently with the view of fixing the impression, yet

fresh, in the writer's mind:--

 

"It was on the 29th of July, 1841, that I last saw poor Hook. I

had received a note from him requesting me to come down and see

him, as he wished much to talk over some matters of importance, and

could not, from the state of his health, drive into town. I went

accordingly, and after a long conversation, which related principally

to * * * and to his novel, 'Peregrine Bunce,' then going through the

press, but which he never lived to complete, a roast fowl was put

on the table for luncheon. He helped me and took a piece himself,

but laid down his knife and fork after the first mouthful, which,

indeed, he made an unsuccessful attempt to swallow. On my observing

his unusual want of appetite--for his luncheon was in general his

dinner--he said: 'It is of no use, old fellow; the fact is I have not

tasted a morsel of solid food these five days!' 'Then what on earth

have you lived upon?' to which he replied, 'Effervescing draughts;'

adding afterwards, that he was allowed to take occasionally a

tumbler of rum and milk, or a pint of Guinness's bottled porter.

 

[Illustration: At the age of 51 from a Portrait by Count D'Orsay]

 

"On hearing this, I strongly pressed on him the necessity of having

further advice, which he at length promised he would do, if he were

not better in a day or two. I told him that my wife and myself were

going down to the Isle of Thanet, and pressed him very much to throw

work overboard for a while, and accompany us and be nursed. He said,

however, 'he was completely tied to his desk till he had concluded

what he was then writing for Colburn and Bentley; but that he should

get quite clear of his trammels in about a month, and then, if we

were still there, he would make an effort to pay us a visit.'"

 

In truth, he was soon past writing; death was advancing upon him

with rapid strides, while earthly prospects were growing, daily,

darker and more threatening. It is painful to reflect that his last

hours, ere the struggling mind had sunk into insensibility, were

disturbed by the apprehension of inability to meet a couple of bills

of comparatively trifling amount, on the point, as he believed, of

becoming due. On Friday, the 13th of August, he took finally to his

bed, the stream hurried on with increasing velocity as it approached

the fall--a brief agitated interval, happily not neglected, was left

for the first, last work of erring man, and on the evening of the

24th he expired.

 

The disorder under which he had been labouring for years, arose from

a diseased state of the liver and stomach, brought on partly by

mental anxiety, but principally, it is to be feared, by that habit

of over-indulgence at table, the curse of Colonial life, which he

had early acquired, and to which he held with fatal perseverance

to the end. It needed no ordinary powers to enable him to sustain

the contest so long; but his frame was robust and his constitution

vigorous; and he seems to have possessed in a remarkable degree

that power of maintaining the supremacy of mind over matter, which

rendered him indifferent to, or unconscious of, the first slow

approaches of decay. He was buried with extreme privacy at Fulham;

a simple stone bearing his name and age marks the spot, which is

immediately opposite the chancel window, and within a few paces of

his former home.

 

[Illustration:(end of section icon)]

 

 

 

 

THE RAMSBOTTOM PAPERS.

 

1822-1831.

 

_NOW FIRST COLLECTED._

 

 

 

 

[The Letters of Mrs. Ramsbottom, complete and unabridged, are

here published in a collected form for the _first_ time. They

originally appeared in the pages of the _John Bull_ newspaper,

where their publication extended over a period of ten years.

A complete set of the _John Bull_ is now very rare, and, in

proof of this, we may state that when a London publisher

recently issued a cheap edition of the "Ramsbottom Letters,"

_thirteen_ were all that he could give, whereas the whole of _the

twenty-nine_ are here given, and genuine--just as they left the

pen of the witty author.]

 

 

 

 

THE RAMSBOTTOM PAPERS.

 

 

I.

 

MRS. RAMSBOTTOM'S PARTY.

 

April, 1822.

 

On Thursday last, Mrs. Ramsbottom, of Pudding-lane, opened her

house to a numerous party of her friends. The drawing-room over

the compting-house, and the small closet upon the stairs, were

illuminated in a most tasteful manner, and Mr. Ramsbottom's own room

was appropriated to card-tables, where all-fours and cribbage were

the order of the night. Several pounds were won and lost.

 

The shop was handsomely fitted up for quadrilles, which began as soon

as it was dark; the rooms being lighted with an abundance of patent

lamps, and decorated with artificial flowers. The first quadrille was

danced by--

 

MR. SIMPSON, JUN. and MISS RAMSBOTTOM

MR. BOTIBOL MISS E. A. RAMSBOTTOM

MR. GREEN MISS ROSALIE RAMSBOTTOM

MR. MUGLISTON MISS CHARLOTTE RAMSBOTTOM

MR. HIGGINBOTHAM MISS LILLA RAMSBOTTOM

MR. ARTHUR STUBBS MISS LAVINIA RAMSBOTTOM

MR. O'REILLY MISS FRANCES HOGSFLESH

A FRENCH COUNT (_name unknown_) MISS RACHEL SOLOMONS.

 

At half-past ten the supper-room was thrown open, and presented to

the admiring eyes of the company a most elegant and substantial hot

repast. The mackerel and fennel-sauce were particularly noticed, as

were the boiled legs of lamb and spinach; and we cannot sufficiently

praise the celerity with which the ham and sausages were removed, as

the respectable families of the Jewish persuasion entered the room.

The port and sherry were of the first quality. Supper lasted till

about a quarter past two, when dancing was resumed, and continued

till Sol warned the festive party to disperse.

 

The dresses of the company were remarkably elegant. Mrs. Ramsbottom

was simply attired in a pea-green satin dress, looped up with crimson

cord and tassels, with a bright yellow silk turban and hair to match;

a magnificent French watch, chain, and seals were suspended from

her left side, and her neck was adorned with a very elegant row of

full-sized sky-blue beads, pendant to which was a handsome miniature

of Mr. Ramsbottom, in the costume of a corporal in the Limehouse

Volunteers, of which corps he was justly considered the brightest

ornament.

 

The Misses Ramsbottom were dressed alike, in sky-blue dresses,

trimmed with white bugles, blue bead necklaces, and ear-rings _en

suite_. We never saw a more pleasing exhibition of female beauty,

the sylph-like forms of the three youngest, contrasted with the

high-conditioned elegance of the two eldest, formed a pleasing

variety; while the uniform appearance of the family red hair, set off

by the cerulean glow of the drapery, gave a sympathetic sameness to

the group, which could not fail to be interesting to the admirers of

domestic happiness.

 

The Misses Solomons attracted particular notice, as did the

fascinating Miss Louisa Doddell, and the lovely Miss Hogsflesh,

delighted the company after supper with the plaintive air of "Nobody

coming to marry me;" Mr. Stubbs and Mr. J. Stubbs sang "All's well"

with great effect, and Mr. Doddell and his accomplished sister were

rapturously encored in the duet of "Oh Nanny, wilt thou gang wi' me?"

 

Among the company we noticed--

 

The French Count (name unknown, but introduced by Mr. J. Stubbs).

 

Mistresses Dawes, Bumstead, Gordon, Green, five Smiths, Jones, Hall,

Ball, Small, Wall, Groves, Taylor, Dixon, Figgins, Stubbs, Lightfoot,

Hogsflesh, Muggins, Higginbottom, Cruikshanks, Barnet, Levi,

Solomons, Ricardo, Hume, Hone, Parker, Wilde, Cummins, Farthing,

Thompson, Anderson, Tod, Smallpiece, Flint, Doddell, Peppercorn,

Adcock and Pyman.

 

Misses Stubbs, 2 Grubbs, 11 Smiths, Lightfoot, Simmons, 3 Halfpennys,

Hall, Ball, Small, Wall, Barton, 3 Jones's, Hogsflesh, Eglantine

Hogsflesh, 2 Greens, 4 Hones, Ricardo, Williams, 2 Doddells,

Peppercorn, Holman, Figgins, Garbett, Burton, Morgan, Ellis, Levi,

Flint, 3 Farthings, Eversfield and Parkinson.

 

Doctor Dixon, Lieut. Cox, R.N., Ensign Ellmore, H.P.

 

Messrs. Green, Halfpenny, Butterfield, Dabbs, Harmer, Griffiths,

Grubb, Hogsflesh, Hall, Ball, Small, Wall, Taylor, Tod, Adcock,

Flint, Doddell, J. Doddle, A. Doddell, T. Doddell, Farrell, O'Reilly,

Yardley, Muscatt, Dabbs, Giblett, Barber, Sniggs, Cocker, Hume,

Bernelle, Moses, Levi, Hone, Ellice, Higginbottom, White, Brown,

Stubbs, J. Stubbs, S. Rogers, Hicks, Moore, Morgan, Luttrell, etc.

 

His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, Lady Morgan, Mr. Ex-Sheriff

Parkins, Sir Robert Wilson, and General Pepe were expected, but did not come.