THE BAZAAR.
THE BAZAAR.
"My dear," said Mrs. Durnford to her husband on his return from a long walk, "I this morning received a letter from poor Susan Boscawen, full of the most lively expressions of her gratitude, for the kind assistance which you gave to her on the death of her father. She has established herself at the Bazaar, in Soho-square, which I understand is a most respectable institution, founded by a gentleman of considerable opulence residing in the place, and by this means, she is enabled to support her aged mother and her two helpless brothers. The one you know is a cripple, and the other was born blind. If you have no objection, I should like to take the children to town some morning, when it would be convenient to you to accompany us, and shew them the interior of our English Bazaar."
"Name your day and I will attend you," replied Mr. Durnford. "The sight will be both novel and pleasing to the children, and I shall feel myself particularly delighted in beholding the amiable Susan, placed in a situation of safety and emolument."
"Pray, papa," said Theodore, a fine boy about ten years of age, "what is the meaning of the word Bazaar?"
"My dear boy," replied Mr. Durnford, "the term Bazaar is given by the Turks and Persians to a kind of Market or Exchange, some of which are extremely magnificent; that of Ispahan, in Persia, surpasses all the other European exchanges, and yet that of Taurus exceeds it in size. There is the old and the new Bazaar at Constantinople, the former is chiefly for arms, and the latter for different articles belonging to goldsmiths, jewellers, furriers, and various other manufactures.Our Bazaar in Soho-square, was founded by Mr. Trotter, on premises originally occupied by the store-keeper general, consisting of several rooms which are conveniently fitted up with handsome mahogany counters, extending not only round the sides, but in the lower and upper apartments, forming a parallelogram in the middle. These counters, having at proper distances flaps or falling doors, are in contiguity with each other, but are respectively distinguished by a small groove at a distance of every four feet of counter, the pannels of which are numbered with conspicuous figures, and these are let upon moderate terms to females who can bring forward sufficient testimonies of their moral respectability."
"It appears to me to be a most excellent establishment," said Mrs. Durnford, "as it enables many a worthy female to dispose of the produce of her labours, without incurring the risk of taking a shop which might prove unsuccessful, and thus she would not only be drained of every sixpence she possessed, but she might be reduced to actual beggary from the failure of her first attempt."
"True, my dear," replied Mr. Durnford, "such is too frequently the case. But in this institution no such danger can arise. The person who from strong recommendation obtains a counter in our Bazaar, pays daily, three-pence for every foot in length, and is not required to hold her situation more than from day to day. I have been told, that at present, there are upwards of a hundred females who are employed in these rooms, and a more pleasing and novel effect can hardly be imagined, than is here produced by the sight of these elegant little shops, filled with every species of light goods, works of art, and female ingenuity in general."
"Then you have seen the Bazaar, papa?" said Maria, the eldest daughter of Mr. Durnford.
"Yes, my love," replied her father, "I went over it about five weeks ago with Lady Bellenden, who has placed two very amiable young women there, both of whom are the orphan daughters of a country curate, one of them has a counter for all sorts of painted ornaments, the other for fine needle work. But you shall see the Bazaar yourself, Maria, and if your mother is disengaged, I think we will set out to-morrow morning, immediately after breakfast. We shall then have plenty of time to examine the contents of the Bazaar, and return in time to receive our guests for dinner."
To the inexpressible delight of all the children, Mrs. Durnford immediately assented to the proposal of her husband, and it was agreed, that as the young people had behaved themselves lately much to the satisfaction of their parents, they should all of them enjoy the pleasure of a "visit to the Bazaar," except the baby in arms, and the youngest boy.
Early the next morning Mr. and Mrs. Durnford, with Maria and Emily, who were twins, and just turned of twelve years of age, and Caroline, a sweet little girl about seven, accompanied by Theodore, proceeded with light hearts and buoyant spirits to town, which was only two miles from the residence of their father, a gentleman of large independent fortune. They had frequently visited the metropolis, had been once to a play, and had seen several other places worthy of their inspection, but they all felt their curiosity strongly excited to view the Bazaar, as well as to behold once more Susan Boscawen, who was a daughter of a deceased tradesman, long a resident in this village, and for whom they all entertained a sincere regard.
On arriving at the place of their destination, the young people were surprized to see the square filled with elegant equipages, some of them belonging to our first nobility. "I believe, my dears," said Mr. Durnford, "that this is the first time any of you have seen Soho-square."
"Yes, papa, it is," cried Theodore, "pray whose statue is that which I see placed in the centre of that large area, and what are those figures at the feet of the statue."
"It is, as you may observe, a pedestrian statue of King Charles the Second," replied Mr. Durnford, "and those wretched mutilated figures are emblematical of the rivers, Thames, Trent, Severn, and the Humber. The Square was formerly called King-square, and I believe some efforts have been made to have that name revived. It has been greatly altered since the original disposition of the ground: then a fountain of four streams fell into a basin in the centre; where now stands the worn out statue of King Charles. It was once also called Monmouth-square, the Duke of Monmouth then residing in the second house; and tradition says, that on the death of the Duke, his admirers changed it to Soho, being the word of the day at the battle of Sedgemoor.The name of the unfortunate Duke is, however, still preserved in that of Monmouth-street, long celebrated for old shops, old clothes, and shop cellars. That house, my dears, is celebrated as being the residence of the venerable and worthy Sir Joseph Banks, whose whole life has been devoted to science, and the diffusion of every branch of useful knowledge."