THE LITERARY PANORAMA, AND National Register: For FEBRUARY, 1815. NATIONAL and PARLIAMENTARY [ing, is known to all who have the honour Notices, BRITISH and FOREIGN. GAUGING: PORT OF LONDON. [Ordered to be printed, July 16, 1814.] REPORT. of his acquaintance. He likes it for himself; he likes it for other folks: he is no niggard of what he offers; and he crowns his enjoyment with the proverb derived from his ancestors, It is merry in the hall When beards wag all. True it is, that his country furnishes him with plenty for his board; yet some among his family seek perverse gratification in foreign articles, turtle and but our respect for the faculty restrains us from finishing the period. -were The SELECT COMMITTEE appointed to inquire into the operation and effect of the several Acts for erecting Docks, and otherwise improving the Port of London, so far as relates to the GAUGING of WINE, and other gaugeable Commo- Time was, when turtle and dities, imported into the said Port; and unknown among us; when the solids of to report the same, with their observations thereupon, together with the M1- from the beef of their own pastures. our ancestors drew nerve and muscle NUTES of the EVIDENCE taken before Then, too, their own soil yielded them Them, from time to time, to the House; and to whom the Petitions of several for which the island was famous from beverage; that heartening burley-wine, Directors of the London Dock Company; of the Court of Mayor and Aldermen of the earliest ages: the bragget, and the the City of London; of several Directors mead of the ancient Britons; that joy of the West India Dock Company; of se- of the Bards, and of all who in their veral Merchants and Importers of and turn, drank—and listened to their song: Dealers in Wines, Spirits, Oils, and other guageable Liquors; of several Fill with MEAD the Hirlas high! Merchants trading to The West India Nor let a soul this day be dry: Colonies, and Importers of Rum at the The hall resounds! the triumph rings! Port of London; of several Importers of And every Bard the conflict sings:and Dealers in Wines and Spirits in London: aud of several Merchants tradThemes of glory, themes of praise !→→→ ing to The West India Colonies, and Nor was this taste soon relinquished; Importers of Rum at the Port of London, for Queen Elizabeth had a large quanwere referred; HAVE examined se- tity of hydromel, metheglin, or mead, veral Witnesses; and directed the Mi-annually imported from Wales, for her nutes of the Evidence taken before them to be laid before the House. GOOD Housewives, when in a kind of-serio-jocoso humour-as it werehalf laughing, half gravely, remind us that it is agreed on all hands, "good eating deserves good drinking." Now, that John Bull duly appreciates good eatVOL I. Lit. Pan, New Series. Feb. 1. own use. Can we wonder the Virgin Queen was a heroine? or that to the present moment her reign is celebrated as the golden days of old England, under Queen Bess? It was a stranger who introduced the Wassell; and the beguiling fair who dazzled the British Prince, when she presented him a cup of spiced wine, Y will never be forgot; her very words echo from age to age:---" Hlaford Cyning, waes heal!" He answered, "Drine heat!" Her action changed the fate of the island, while it subdued the soul of the British Sovereign: With love and wine at once opprest, The mighty Monarch sunk upon her breast: -or, in the rougher measures of Robert of Glocester,* Vortigern took Rowena, and Kustehire and sitte hire adoune and glad dronk hire heil; And that was in this land the verst 'was-hail,' As in language of Saxony that we might evere invite. And so well he paieth the folk about, that he is not yet vorgite. Hence the Wassel-bowl, filled with the spicy nut-brown ale; the favourite liquor of the Saxons, and long the theme of glory among Thanes and Eorls. The Normans brought with them their relish for wines; and they not only raised the luscious berry-bearing grape in this This story is better told, perhaps, by Robert of Brunne, who, in translating this part of Geoffrey of Monmouth, has preserved a curious addition to it. He states, that Vortigern, not comprehending the words of Rowena, demanded their meaning from one of his Britons, who immediately explained to him the Saxon custom as follows: "This es ther custom and ther gest, The king said as the knight gan ken Of that wassaille men told grete tale, country, of which many places retaining the name of vineyards, are witness, but they in ported amplesupplies from abroad; and deeply they drank of the powerful potation. The liberal commended it to their guests, the year through; on festivities, and especially at Christmas, it flowed in the halls of the most frugal: for so says the old song, the AngloNorman carol of the thirteenth century: NOEL beyt bien li vin Engleis NOEL fait beivre son veisin, . Sovent le jor. * The fashion descended---or rather extended, as all fashions descend---or rather extend, from the higher ranks to the public at large; and the consumption of this liquor became so general, that a "lamentably complaining" Act of Parliament, on the part of the "humble Commons" of the Realm, shewed to "the King our Sovereign Lord," the hapless condition to, which his lieges were reduced: they could get neither full measure, nor a full supply, for love nor money their butts were " sore abregged and minished;" and the price was raised from "1. s. or liii. s. iv.d. woollen cloth," to "eight marks a butt, at the most, and two third parts paid in redy money, and no cloth, to the great enriching of theymself (the merchant. stranger) and great deceite, loss, hurt and damage of you Sovereign Lord, and of all your Commons." What " eraftiness!" what "subtelty!" on the part of these strangers, toward the said most lamentably complaining, and heartily vexed, John Bull. The whole of this case is so deeply imbued with melancholy, that we cannot deny our readers the pleasure of sympathizing with the sufferings of their--great-great---great grandfathers, in Vide PANORAMA, Vol. IV. p. 682. CHRISTMAS Supplies his neighbour's bowl, the first year of King Richard the Third, | Parliament, assembled, for to ordain, enact of crook-back memory. 1 Richard III, Cap. 13: The contents of Vessels of Wine, and Oil, which may not be sold till guaged. and establish in this your present Parliament, and by authority of the same;our said Sovereign Lord the King, by the advice and asscnt of the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and at the supplication "To the King our Sovereign Lord, of the said Commons in the said Parliashewen unto your Highness, lamentably ment assembled; and by authority of the complaining your humble Commens of same, hath ordained, established and enacthis your present Parliament, assembled in ted, that no mauner merchant or other perthe name of themself and of all your other son whatsoever he be, from the feast of humble Comous of this your honourable Saint Michael the Archangel next comrealm, That whereas butts of wine called ing, shall bring nor cause to be brought Malmsey, were wout in great plenty to be | into this realm, any butt of malmsey to be brought into this your said realm to be sold sold, unless it do contain in measure at before the twenty-seven and twenty-eight the least the said old measure of at cxxvi years of the reign of Henry the Sixth, late gallons: (3.) Nor no vessels with any in deed and not of right King of Eng- manner of wines whoever they be, or of land, and also in the same years, and then what country they be, nor no manner of vesdivers of butts held in measure seven score sels of oil, unless the same vessels of wine or gallons a-piece, and divers held six score oil do contain and hold the measure and astwelve gallons a-piece, and the least of sise following, that is to say every tun to them held six score six gallons a-piece; contain twelve score and twelve gallons, and then a man might bye and have of and every pipe to contain six score and the Merchants stranger seller of the said six gallons, every tertian to contain four malmseys, by mean of the said plenty of score and four gallons, and every hogshead them, for L. s. or liii. s. iv. d. at the most a to contain sixty-three gallons, and every butt of such wine, he taking for his payment barrel to contain thirty-one gallons and thereof two parts in woollen cloth wrought an half, and every rundjet to contain eighin this your said realm, and the third pay teen gallons, and an half, according to the in redy money. It is so, Sovereign Lord, old assise and measure of the same vessels that by the subtel and crafty means of such used in this realm: (4.) And that all the persons, strangers as have the sale of such vessels of wine and oil brought into this wines, the which have been made deni- realm after the said feast, to be sold, shall zens within this your said realin, have cau- not be put to sale after the same feast, till sed the butts of malmseys latewards brought they be well and truly gauged by the King's into this your said realm to be sold, for to gauger or his sufficient deputy, upon pain be sore abregged and minished of the said to forfeit to the King all the said wines and - measure so largely, that a butt of their oils sold contrary to this present ordinance, malmseys at this day scantly holden in or else the value of the same: (5.) And in measure five score eight gallons, and be- case that any person, of what country that sides that they knowing, as it seemeth, he be, from henceforth do sell to any of the what quantity of such wine may serve year-King's liege people for any certain price ly to be sold within this your seid realni, where they were wont to bring hether yearly great quantity and plenteously of such wine to be sold after the prices aforesaid, of their craftiness use to bring no more hider now in late dayes, but only as wolle scantily serve this realm a year, wherethrugh they have enhansed the price of the same wines to eight marks a butt redy moucy, and no cloth, to the great enrishing of theymself, and great deceite, loss, hurt and damage of you Sovereigu Lord, and of all your Commons of this your said realm, in consideration of which hurts and damages aforesaid, and for the reformation of the same, please it your Highness of your moost bounteous and benign grace, by the advice and assent of your Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and of your Commons, in this your present assigned, any butt, tun, pipe, tertian, hogshead, barrel or rundlet of any manner wine or oil facking any thing of the said assise or measure, that the seller shall allow or rebate of the same price to the buyer of such wine or oil, as much money as such lacking, after the rate shall amount to, upou pain to forfeit to our Sovereign Lord the King, the value of all the wine and oil so sold contrary to this present ordinance: (6.) Any privy covenant or contract made or to be made betwixt the buyer and the seller contrary to this ordinance in any manner notwithstanding." If ever condolence were due to the miserable, it cannot be withheld by the tender-hearted from the sufferers under this calamity; and greatly is it to be wished, perhaps somewhat more than it |