Since Sir John Fielding's time, the publick have frequently had occasion to applaud the vigilance of the Police in their attempts to prevent illegal assemblies, whether under the title of concerts or dances; and instances might be related when dancing-masters and groupes of their pretended scholars have visited the watch-house; but the most obstinate places of vicious amusement were the Dog and Duck, and the Apollo-gardens, in St. George's-fields; the latter of which is not only now suppressed, but the site has become a mere level, and the Dog and Duck served for several years as a public kitchen for charitable purposes, after the keeper had been expelled.
At the latter place there was a long room furnished with tables and benches, and at the upper-end an organ. The company who assembled in the evening, consisted of some of the finest women of the town of the middle rank, their bullies, and such young men as could, without reflection, condescend to supply the thirsty palates of the women with inflaming liquids: the conversation was—Reader, imagine what!
The Apollo-gardens might accidentally receive decent visitors, but I presume their stay to have been short. These places flourished much too long; infinite injury was done by them. But we have now the consolation to reflect, that Vice is
compelled to hide her fascinating visage; and though it is impossible to dive into all her haunts, we do not find them blazoned with large characters in the public ways, where her votaries however contrive intimations which are passed unobserved by the virtuous, but understood by the vicious; and these Bagnio's, Seraglio's, or whatever else the reader pleases to term them, are in many instances large and handsome houses.
The lady who trades upon her own account can never be at a loss for a sign to indicate her profession, as long as her own sweet person is permitted to appear at a window, either in elegant disorder, or habited fit for a drawing-room. How shall I number these signs, or the streets where they most abound? The Reader would disbelieve the enumeration.
When some concurring circumstances have prevented the rapid letting of new houses in parts of the parish of St. Mary-le-bon, I believe it might be safely asserted, that builders have admitted persons into them who had a girl in almost every room as a distinct lodger; but they are generally dislodged as respectable inhabitants approach, and they return to their previous haunts in more obscure situations. Exeter-street was dreadfully infested with wretched women and thieves in 1759, and great difficulty occurred in driving them from it; that it has been
accomplished, may serve as a hint for some modern unfortunate neighbourhoods.
There are but few of our Essayists who have not reprobated the distribution of vales to the domesticks of those to whom visits were paid. When the custom was in full vigour, the office of a footman became very lucrative, and the division of the profits arising from the contributions of a large company, was a matter of no small importance to the parti-coloured mendicants; who arranged themselves in their Master's hall in double ranks, prepared to affront those who infringed their rights, and were barely civil when they received sums which would have procured meals for fifty poor families. Card-money, or money deposited under the candlesticks for the servants where card-parties were held, deserved less reprehension, as it was in every one's power to avoid gaming; but when a man in moderate circumstances was insulted for not giving that which was necessary for his own existence, or was compelled to decline an invitation to his injury, we cannot but wonder that such a custom should have prevailed for a year, much less a Century or more. It was meanness in the master to suffer such an exaction, and folly to comply with it when himself a visitor. Some serious attempts were made about 1760 to abolish Vales, which has been at length gradually accomplished,
though there are still unthinking people who give where it is not expected.
Cock-fighting, Cudgel-playing, and Boxing, were practised in some parts of the Metropolis in 1761; and most of the promoters of those elegant customs escaped punishment. Higginson, master of the Tennis-court and Little Theatre in James-street, near the Haymarket, less fortunate, was tried at the bar of the King's-bench, and convicted of encouraging this species of brutality; however, Mr. Higginson contrived either to set the verdict at defiance, or to evade future penalties, for subsequent newspapers contained long accounts of a battle between Meggs, a collier, and the celebrated Nailor, at the Tennis-court, where the seats let at 5s. and 10s. 6d. to an overflowing audience. The reader will forgive me, if I at once proceed to notice this hateful custom of Boxing in its present state; he need not be informed that it has been encouraged by persons of the highest rank, who have been and are now known to disgrace their situation in life, by witnessing the infliction of blows which sometimes produce death, and always disfigure the human form, for the avaricious purpose of betting on either party, to the injury at least of their fortunes.