[-131-]
THE SPORTING PUBLIC-HOUSE
WAS instituted for the combined purpose of encouraging drinking, and what its
admirers term the noble arts of self-defence. There was a time when boxing was
in fashion; when but few of our noblemen and gentlemen did not take Lessons in
the pugilistic art. "I can assert, without fear of contradiction,"
writes Pierce Egan, "that I furnished the present Duke of Buccleuch with a
pair of boxing-gloves and all the volumes of 'Boxiana' during his studies at
Eton College." Prince George of Cambridge learnt the rudiments of the art
from young Richmond; the late Duke of Portland was a pupil of that Jackson whose
name is familiar to all readers of Byron. At the first public dinner of the
Pugilistic Society, held at the Thatched House Tavern, 1814, a baronet, Sir
Henry Smith, was in the chair; and it is a fact, when the war with France was
terminated, and the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia, [-132-]
accompanied by Blucher and Platoff, visited this country, that not anything they
had witnessed appeared to interest them more than the sparring matches between
Jackson, Tom Crib, Belcher, Old Dutch Sam, at a déjeuner given by Lord
Lowther at his mansion. Indeed, so delighted were those great masters of the art
of war with the combats between those first-rate boxers, that Messrs Blucher and
Platoff had a second exhibition by their own express desire at the Earl of
Elgin's house. Actually even in the House of Commons Mr. Wyndham favoured the
House with a description, warm and glowing, of a recent contest between Richmond
and Maddox, of which he had been a spectator; and it is not long since Mr.
Gully, a prize-fighter, represented Pontefract. The late George IV., when Prince
of Wales, was also a spectator at the fight upon a stage on Brighton Downs
between Tom Tyne, a distinguished boxer, with a publican of milling notoriety.
The latter was killed by a blow on his temple, and died almost upon the instant.
The royal debauchee never attended another, but his brother, the late William
the Fourth, was often a spectator of the matches on Moulsey Hurst. In this
respect the age has made pro-[-133-]gress. Our
noblemen no longer patronize the prize-ring. Our young princes have a purer
taste. Yet the institution, with all its brutality and blackguardism, still
exists, and in the Advertiser, side by side with an article bewailing the
spread of German neology in our dissenting colleges, or speaking evil of such
earnest workers in the wide field of philanthropy as Maurice or Kingsley, you
will read of one of the beastly prize-fights which still disgrace the land. But
the Advertiser is the publicans' paper, and it is a fact easily
understood, that the prize-fighter, when his day is over, generally keeps a
public-house, which is generally called a sporting- house. A warm admirer of
them writes, "Fun, civility, mirth, good-humour, and sporting events are
the general theme of conversation to be met with over a cheerful glass at the
above houses." Ben Caunt's, in St Martin's-lane, is perhaps the principal
one, but there are some five or six besides in various parts of the metropolis.
Let us enter one. In spite of the assurance of civility and good humour, I don't
think you will stay long, but will feel on a small scale what Daniel must have
felt in the lions' den.
[-134-] We enter, we will say,
Bang Up's hostelry, about ten on a Thursday evening; there is Bang Up at the
bar, with his ton of flesh and broken nose. Many people think it worth while to
go and spend one or two shillings at Bang Up's bar, merely that they may have
the pleasure of seeing him, and consider him cheap at the money. I don't admire
their taste. I once spent an evening with the Norfolk Giant, and I did not find
him very witty or well informed. But let us walk up-stairs, having first paid
six-. pence to a doorkeeper, by appearance a negro, for which we are to receive
a certain amount of refreshment, if beer and grog come rightly under that
denomination; at length we find ourselves in a very ordinary room, with very
extraordinary people in it. First, there are the portraits - imprimis Bang
Up, looking grosser and more animal than ever. Secondly, Mrs. Bang Up, the exact
counterpart of her bosom's lord; then a tribe of Bang Ups junior, of all sizes
and sexes, attract our astonished eyes. Then - for the room is a complete
Walhalla - we have portraits of sporting heroes innumerable, with villanous
foreheads, all "vacant of our glorious gains," heavy eyes, thick bull
necks, [-135-] and very short croppy hair. Here
Gully vanquishes Bob Gregson, "the Lancashire champion," one of the
finest and most formidable men of the day. There Jack Randall and Ned Turner
display "a fine science and capital fighting," almost unparalleled,
and so on; for the list is long, and it is one we do not care to repeat. We seat
ourselves at the further end of the room, with a few gentlemen drinking gin and
smoking cigars. Twenty or thirty mean-looking men are seated along the side ;
they are mostly dirty, and have broken noses; they are not very conversational,
but seem chiefly to be deeply engaged in smoking. At length the waiter brings
out some boxing gloves; one man takes off his coat and waistcoat, possibly his
shirt, and puts them on; another does the same - they stand up to each
other, the gents at the table encourage them, and the seedy men with broken
noses look on very knowingly; they spar for some time, till the one feels that
he cannot touch the other, and throws down the gloves; a mall collection is then
made for the noble art of se1f-defence, which, I presume, is divided
amongst the performers; other actors come upon the stage, and the friendly
contests are maintained [-136-] till Bang Up
closes his public-house for the night. As I came out, it was a great consolation
to me to think that there are not many such places in London. The style of men
thus created are, I fear, neither useful nor ornamental. They have a nasty
ticket-of-leave look, and I would fain dispense with their company in quiet back
streets during the small hours. One other thought may console you; the sporting
public-house, once popular, now attracts but a few, and that few a weak and
vicious class. Is not this matter of encouragement?