VOL. 78.-No. 1.] LONDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 1832. PROGRESS IN THE NORTH. North Shields, 25. Sept. 1832. [Price Is. 2d. there is the Custom-house; and there is the Billingsgate, only with the fish a little fresher, and with fishwomen not quite so drunken nor quite so nasty; and there is the "Fish-street-hill," just as much like "t'other place" as if it had been spit out of its mouth, only that it has not a lying monument as t'other place has. NEWCASTLE is a really solid fine town; just such streets as the city of London; just such shops; and just such industrious and busy-looking I CAME here this forenoon, and am to people. Nor is it (worse is its luck!) lecture at the theatre this evening. This destitute of a corporation, yielding, as place is about eight miles from New- far as I can find, in point of wisdom, castle, down the river TYNE towards justice, honesty, fair dealing with the the sea; and as much like Wapping it people, not one jot to CHARLEY PEARis as any two peas were ever like each soN, FIGGINS the printers' tinker, and other. SOUTH SHIELDS is just opposite, the rest of the THING under which we on the other side of this "LITTLE have the happiness to live in Middlesex. THAMES," called the TYNE; and such To be sure, there is here not such ample places for stir and bustle, on the scope for guttling and guzzling; but sides of the river and on the river, this corporation, too, is allowed to raise never were seen, except at London it-taxes on the river; it has the fingering self; and, really, these places seem to of public property of various descripsurpass even London in this respect. tions; and I am well assured, that the To describe to an inhabitant of London manner of its management, and the apthis famous group of towns, NEWCASTLE, plication and distribution of the funds, NORTH SHIELDS, GATESHEAD, and are such, that CHARLEY PEARSON'S SOUTH SHIELDS, a very few words are Common Council and HUGHES necessary; the Tyne is the Thames; HUGHES's Court of Aldermen have no Newcastle is the city of London; reason to blush at hearing the corporaGateshead is Southwark; the bridge tion of NEWCASTLE called their legitithat connects these is old London-mate offspring. Not to be deficient in bridge; North Shields is Wapping; anything belonging to the parent, the and South Shields is Deptford and all child has a DEBT, too; a funded debt ; these are so precisely like the big thing and, like t'other THING, which, again, in Middlesex and Surrey, that it would resembles the great THING of all at almost make one believe that the WESTMINSTER, it can never pay off! former place had bred, and that this So that in all things this famous town was a young one. As you go over the of Newcastle resembles the city of bridge from GATESHEAD to Newcastle, London; and GATESHEAD and the two there are the ships innumerable, lying SHIELDSEs resemble those bustling apbelow the bridge as far as you can see pendages before-mentioned It is imdown the river; and there are the possible, by the use of any words, to barges and the boats above the bridge; give an adequate idea of the stir and and all the same sort of people at work, bustle upon this river, of which there and all the same sort of work going on. seems to be scarcely any square yard of When you get over the bridge there is water which experiences one half hour the Thames-street turning round the at a time without something or other corner to the right and to the left; and being floating upon it. B |