"The Hells in the Quadrant.
"Those seats of vice (the gaming-houses) which, for some time past, have existed in the Quadrant, appear to be done up, as, since Saturday, not one of them has been opened. Since the five persons have been apprehended, the visitors have been extremely scarce; nor was their confidence restored, even by the proprietors' having the chain up at the street door, coupled with a fellow's being employed at each of the hells to patrol before the different establishments, for the purpose of giving the requisite information as to who sought admission into those dens of destruction. Although a very active search has been made for the purpose of ascertaining what has become of Daly, the clerk of the Athenæum Club-house, who left that establishment on the 8th instant, no trace had been found of him—one of the many lamentable instances of loss of character and ruin which overtake those who suffer themselves to be lured into those houses. Daly, who enjoyed the confidence of the whole of the members, was suddenly missed on the above day. On looking over his papers, a diary was found, from which it appeared that he had lost large sums of money at No. 60, and as it has since been ascertained he was there on the previous day, it is supposed that he lost 24 £5 notes at play which belonged to his employers. Upon this discovery being made, some gentlemen of the Athenæum waited on the parish officers, to ascertain whether they could put a stop to the gaming-houses. It was, however, found that it could not be done, unless some person would come forward and identify those at play; a relation of Daly accordingly went to the house, and supplied the necessary proof. It was at this establishment, a few months since, the foreigners who had been fleeced made an attempt to rob the bank; and, shortly after that, placards were posted on the walls in the neighbourhood of the Quadrant, cautioning persons from going into any of the hells, as drugged wine was invariably given to those who were going to play."
In these cases, nowadays, our magistrates look upon a raid upon a gaming-house as a very trivial affair, inflicting only mild fines upon the offenders. They might peruse, with advantage, the practice of their predecessors. Take a case at the Westminster Sessions, on May 9th—
"Three prisoners, out of six, answered to the indictment of keeping and maintaining a common gaming-house, and pleaded guilty. The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Clarkson, said that the house in question was situate No. 54, Regent's Circus, six doors from the house which was lately prosecuted. He should have been able to prove that on February the 7th, 9th, 12th, and 14th last, the games of rouge et noir and roulette were played for sums varying from one sovereign to one shilling. He should have also proved that on some one or on all those occasions the defendants acted in the capacities of doorkeeper, banker, and waiter. He (Mr. Clarkson) was informed by the officers of St. James's parish that at the last Sessions there were twenty-seven houses of this description situate therein, and out of that number only two had been closed in the interval, but three new ones had been opened, so that the number had been increased rather than otherwise.
"Mr. Philips, for the defence, said that those houses had nothing to do with the present case. He would advise the parish officers to go to Crockford's, not far distant from the house in question, where they would find lords and peers of the realm at play.
"The bench sentenced two of the prisoners to three months, and one to fourteen days imprisonment in the House of Correction, whilst the bail of one who did not appear was estreated."
CHAPTER XIV.
1833.
The overland route to India — The Government and Lieutenant Waghorn — Police magistrate and the press — Cobbett and the British Museum — Prevalence of influenza — "National Convention" riot — Policeman killed — The coroner and the jury — Adulteration of tea.
We saw how, in 1832, the East India Company refused to accelerate communication with India by means of steam vessels. I have now to record the earliest efforts of Lieutenant Waghorn, in his famed overland route to India, which, however, did not become an accomplished fact until October, 1845. The Times, February 6th, thus comments on the conduct of Earl Grey's ministry in this matter—
"It will hardly be credited that Mr. Waghorn, who is on the point of leaving England, to carry personally into effect one of the most important enterprises in which any man has ever yet engaged—namely, the shortening by one half the time of our communications with India—has been refused, by Sir James Graham, a commission as Lieutenant in the Navy, a rank to which he is fairly entitled from his period of service, and which is most material to his success. The Board of Control, the Admiralty, nay, the whole of the Government, profess the desire to have this great project fully brought to bear; they admit Mr. Waghorn's qualifications, attested by nearly the whole mercantile community of India, for the undertaking; they are relieved, through his and their means, of all expense or thought or trouble about the success of it; the only thing asked is a Lieutenant's commission, simply because Mr. Waghorn is aware of the far greater attention which the rank of a British officer will procure him from the Pacha of Egypt, and would willingly, to obtain it, relinquish the pay of that rank, and yet it is refused by those to whom his labours, if successful, must prove of incalculable benefit!"