their mutual hatred and insulting displeasure, even whilst the Princess Caroline (afterwards the Queen of England, as wife to George II.) was seated in her royal box.

At the commencement of this war, the gentlemen clapped their hands, and cried "Bravo!" and enjoyed the momentary triumph of either of the feminine belligerents: bursts of laughter alone accompanied the going down of the curtain; but as the malice of the rivals was sustained by the indulgence of their wrath, each Fury would have pushed their war to the very knife. Handel, who too often witnessed the implacable spirit which agitated their bosoms, stood appalled, and exclaimed, "Sin, thy name is woman! I had rather have a legion of he- devils at my back, than encounter one woman, and she an Italian !"

In almost every house at the court end of the town, some lady or gentleman were, in spite of themselves, made a party to one of these prevailing feuds. The ladies played off their spite at each other with all the malevolence of which the evil human heart is capable; they manifested their party-spirit, which was well understood by each side by devices worn on their foreheads, their cheeks, and chins, in the shapes cut out in black court - plaster; and when a good hit was made by one of these malignant devices, the plaudits were so long and loud, that the business of the stage was sometimes interrupted half-a-dozen times during the representation of one opera.

Behind the orchestra Handel could be heard cursing the Italian signors, the ladies quarrelling and screaming with rage; and all the avenues to the concert-room being filled with bloods and bucks, who dearly enjoyed the row; joined by the footmen, and chairmen, and policemen, calling the belligerents to order, made Handel declare the Opera House to exceed in nightly riot the scenes of Pandemonium.

During the raging of this rancorous state of the parties, he was wont to pace the pavé with his hands clasped, and swear a soliloquy in Italian, German, French, and English, and end in an exclamation, “Öh, mine holy

Maker! these temonds shall drive me stark-staring mad!"

At first the partisans of these two sirens contented themselves with hissing and clapping, according as either lady, Cuzzoni or Faustina, appeared on the boards; but soon the nuisance of cat-calls, howlings, hissings, and other offensive manifestations of the same nature, superseded the more peaceful signs of disapprobation, and the evenings concluded in one general and alarming riot.

Handel, several years afterwards, in adverting to these disgraceful riots in conversing with his amiable coadjutor, Mr. Smith,* observed, “There was one noise which was preternaturally hellish, in the infernal chorus at the Opera House; and that was made by an itinerant street musician, who fastened to his button-hole the upper member of a hautboy, which uttered through the giantific power of his sdendorian lungs a scream comparable with a conglomeration of ten thousand dying geese, and twice of the same numbers of half-strangled beacocks in the agonies of death!" Handel, as Garrick used to say, when in a playful mood, was very graphic in his descriptions; to wit, when the serpent was brought from the Continent, and first introduced in the orchestra at the Haymarket, he stopped his ears and exclaimed, Bah, bah! name it not, it is the old sarbent from Paradise-it is the devil himself come into the vorld again!"

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These disgraceful contests most probably contributed to bring the operas performed under the direction of this aristocratic Academy into disrepute; for in spite of the great advantages it was supposed to derive from its excellent composers, and the high talent of its singers, the institution became so desperately involved, that in 1728 a new subscription was proposed, the original sum of 50,0007, together with the large sums produced by the sale of tickets, and that taken at the door from non-subscribers, being entirely expended.

To this fresh demand, after what had been already experienced, so few-indeed so very few, persons appeared willing to lend their aid; for the higher orders, in common with

Cranbourne Alley sempstress's threadpaper!"

Poor old Tom D'Urfey, once the gayest of the gay, who had often been joined in a merry catch, a glee, or a duet, by the mirth-loving King Charles II., with the sovereign's arm resting kindly on his shoulder!

Tom's pen was most prolific; for he wrote full as many songs (and almost as well) as our inspired socialist, the other Thomaso-our lively contemporary, Tom Dibdin.

But as Dean Swift observed, "These rascal Italians! even yet I am halfinclined to feel some small compunction for their reverses, for God knows that I have been a bitter scourge to their sol fa-ing! My pen has accomplished its work; and now every ass with iron-shod heels has a fling at them!"

Amongst other wits and wags who gave loose to their satirical vein, even Dr. Arbuthnot, though himself an advocate for the superior style of Italian composition, strangely enough could not resist the opportunity of putting in a word; which was uncalled for, and certainly very ungallant towards a lady that voluntarily withdrew herself from this country, and left England with becoming spirit, and with a grace that was highly creditable to her feelings.

This was Signora Margarita Durastanti, who was engaged to visit England professionally, at the same time that Handel invited hither Signor Senesino, and they arrived. here by the same vessel.

This very accomplished singer was a favourite performer in the operas composed by Handel, Bononcini, and Attilio, until the year 1723. Her quitting England was caused, as supposed, by the partiality evinced by a fashionable party who were determined, right or wrong, to support her rival, Cuzzoni: but poor Durastanti was excited to this state of envy because the gentlemen amateurs admired the superior beauty of this signora, which was singularly rare; and this was an offence that the bosom of female rivalry has always been extremely slow to forgive.

However, the distressed fair made a handsome retreat, and took a formal leave of the English nation by singing on the Opera stage a song written in haste by the poet, Pope, and at the earnest request of her ardent admirer, the Earl of Peterborough; which, together with a travestie or burlesque of the same by the pen of Dr. Arbuthnot, were sent to the public papers, and immediately printed. These feminine squabbles were still further perpetrated by the press, and may yet be seen by the curious who may choose to refer to the printed scraps in the Harleian Miscellany: "Generous, gay, and gallant nation,

Bold in arm, and bright in arts; Land secure from all invasion,

All but Cupid's gentle darts!
From your charms, oh! who would run?
Who would leave you for the sun?

Happy soil, adieu — adieu !
Let old charmers yield to new;
In arms, in arts, be still more shining;
All your joys be still increasing,
All your tastes be still refining,

All your jars for ever ceasing,
But let old charmers yield to new:
Happy soil, adieu - adieu !"

Dr. Arbuthnot's version of the same:

"

Puppies, who I now am leaving, Merry sometimes, always mad; Who lavish most when debts are craving,

On fool, and farce, and masquerade! Who would not from such bubbles run, And quit such blessings for the sun?

Happy soil and senseless crew!
Let old sharpers yield to new ;
All your tastes be still refining,
All your nonsense still more shining;
Blest in some Berenstadt or Boschi,
That more awkward, this more husky;
And never want when these are lost t'us,
Another Heidegger* and Faustus.
Happy soil, and senseless crew!
Let old sharpers yield to new:
Bubbles all, adieu- adieu !"

It is worthy of observation that the taste for Italian music which prevailed amongst the patrician families in England from the period of Queen Anne, originated with our own native composer, Henry Purcell, who was honoured by Dryden with the title of the British Orpheus.

WHATEVER truth there may be in the aphorism, "That the receiver is as bad as the thief," the law has generally awarded a less portion of punishment for the former offence. The difficulty, indeed, in a vast majority of cases, of distinguishing between an innocent and a guilty holding of property, has ever been found so great, that the punishment of death, had the law awarded it for the offence, could never have met with the acquiescence of the public at large, though a portion of the body of traders would have given it their sanction. There is perhaps no crime, excepting murder, that traders in general are so strongly inclined to see visited with heavy penalties. “If there were no receivers," they say, "there would be no thieves." True; and, vice versû, if there were no thieves, there would be no receivers.

In every state, it is of paramount importance, not only that every degree, but every shade of guilt, should be clearly defined; yet in cases of receivership the shades of moral turpitude are almost infinite, notwithstanding all the offenders are punished with a like sentence, and visited with similar odium, even greater than that of the thief. When the burglar or highwayman goes out to rob, he must, from the nature of the crime he contemplates, prepare and expect to be compelled to use violence against the person of his fellow-man; but the receiver does not render himself liable to commit any offence of that nature, and must therefore be deemed a less dangerous character in society than the actual robber.

Receivers may be considered as the accomplices of thieves after the fact; the punishment for which is fourteen years' transportation,-a penalty that has rarely been thought by prosecutors sufficiently severe enough. Under the administration of Sir Robert Pec!, a law was enacted that rendered persons found in possession of stolen goods liable to be indicted as the thief, unless an innocent holdVOL. XXIV. NO, CXLIV.

ing was proved. This new law gave great satisfaction in the City; and immediately a great desire was manifested by the authorities in every case to convict the receiver as the thief. In many cases this manifestation was made apparent by the escape of real offenders, and the capital conviction of comparatively innocent parties. In short, it was carried to such an extent as to defeat its own purpose.

Lawyers hold it as a maxim, that the law ought not to be warped but for the purposes of mercy; that it should at all times be liberally construed; and that it should never be strained to compass the conviction of an offender, however obnoxious to society.

Whenever the law (if we may be allowed to use the expression) gets into a passion, and those who administer it allow themselves to be betrayed into a feeling of super-anxiety to effect a conviction, it generally happens that the law and the authorities are both brought into contempt. When the law is driven beyond its natural limits, its effects are always weakened. Like the blustering of an individual raging with ire, every thing said or done in such a condition requires recantation or revision.

We have a striking illustration of this in the case of an offender of notoriety, namely, Ikey Solomons, whose character as a receiver of stolen goods was well known to the authorities, notwithstanding he had a long career in his criminal calling without detection. When, therefore, he was at length committed to Newgate, on a charge of felony, there was a general outery for vengeance. Every one who had been robbed in and about the metropolis for the last ten years imagined that their property had gone through the hands of the notorious Ikey Solomons. Such is the effect of a bad name. It is, however, probable that no one individual ever before or since his time carried on such an extensive dealing in stolen property as Solomons. He was espe

X X

cially known as a purchaser of stolen Bank-of-England notes, or, indeed, any bankers' notes so obtained. Malefactors that have been executed at the Old Bailey, in their confessions have described Solomons as being in the habit of giving three-fourths of the value for bank-notes, although their numbers were known, and had been stopped, as it is termed, at the Bank of England.

It is known that on one occasion he gave 1500l. cash down for two 1000l. notes, both of which had been stopped at the Bank of England eighteen months previously. These notes had originally been secreted by a fraudulent bankrupt from his creditors, who had traced them to his possession; and as they were not forthcoming under the estate, the assignees gave notice to the Bank of their abstraction. The bankrupt, being apprised of this measure, retained them in his possession till he died, when they were sold, as previously stated, to Solomons. In a few weeks subsequently both the notes were presented at the Bank of England for payment, through the hands of a respectable merchant in the City. As a matter of course, an inquiry was immediately instituted. The merchant stated that he had received the notes from a mercantile house in Holland in payment for goods shipped there. On which a messenger was sent over to follow up the inquiry.

The agent so employed returned with a written statement as follows: "We, Messrs. are dealers in a general way, and every year attend Leipsic fair, where we have large transactions with foreign merchants. At the last fair we sold goods to a considerable amount to a Spaniard, who paid us in English bank - notes for the same. We consider ourselves competent judges of a genuine English Bank-of-England note; and having implicit confidence in their being paid, never refuse them when goods are to be sold at a profit. This is the whole of the statement we have to make, handing you the name of our attorney in London, who will attend to our interest, and, if necessary, institute proceedings against the directors of the Bank for the recovery of the amount of the notes in question."

After this statement, the directors had no alternative but to pay the notes, as it cut short all further inquiry.

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Several years previously to the end of Solomons' race he had abandoned petty business, rejecting any offer to purchase goods but in a wholesale way, saying to those who brought him goods, If you cannot clear out a warehouse at once, you are of no use to me." His advice to thieves, latterly, was to strike at high quarry, saying that it was as easy to do business in a sweeping manner as in a petty way. One or two jobs in a year, he used to tell the robbers, were sufficient for their support, if well planned and properly executed, while paltry thefts kept them always in hot water, and increased their risk of detection.

Solomons' house was generally filled with goods; but he never allowed any purchases to be taken into stock till every mark was deleted, telling those with whom he had dealings, that if they could not retain the swag long enough for the obliteration of marks, the job could scarcely be said to have been completed.

One case may suffice to shew how expeditiously these obliterations were effected. A shoemaker, who resided in Princes Street, Leicester Square, was in the habit of locking up his house on a Sunday evening, and taking all his family to Orange Street Chapel. On one of these occasions, during his absence, the whole of his stock of goods, valued at upwards of 4007., was removed from his premises. The number of one hackney coach, out of several that had been standing in the street, was the only clue that remained for tracing the property. The officers, however, made such efficient use of this information, that by noon the following morning they found the whole of the shoemaker's goods on the premises of Ikey Solomons. There remained not a shadow of doubt as to the goods being the same as those stolen from the shop in Princes Street, as the boots and shoes were all of one make, and had been manufactured to the measure of the customers who had ordered them. The shoemaker, in an ecstasy of delight at the thought of having recovered his property, exclaimed, as he saw the goods, "You will find them