DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0200
172 kirby’s wonderful museum*
He can speak English tolerably well, and make himself
understood if he chuses, for in his perambulations, on meet-
ing a genteel person, he will stop and tell him in English
that he does wrong to wear a white handkerchief or powder,
or any other ornament that looks gay. No one makes him
any reply, and he proceeds. Upon being asked what is his
religion, he replies, he preaches the “ Christian Religion,’*
not the tenets of any particular sect, but respects the law of
Moses, and if the people will do as he directs, they will be
saved.
From enquiring after this person in his private life, we
learn that he bears the best of characters for honesty, sobrie-
ty and industry, and so perfectly correct is he in his own con-
duct, that he scruples not to check even his employer if he
happen to swear. He left a very good place some time ago
on this account, as the following anecdote of him will show.
When he first came into this country, which was in the
early part of 1810, he worked in Fisher’s soap manufactory
at Stratford, near Bow, maintaining his wife and family with
credit. Here he continued till the end of 1812, when busi-
ness being slack, he was out of employ, but the good cha-
racter given him by his employers procured him work at
Mr. Thomas’s, gardener, near the Black Swan at Bromley.
He performed his daily labours in the garden with chearful-
ness, and in the most constant manner at all times, never
making any objection, whatever the employ might be.
In the summer a space of ground was marked out with
string, to preserve a fine crop of a particular sort of pea,
that Mr. Thomas had reserved for himself, and desired no
one to touch on any account. He having gone to market,
Mrs. Thomas, like Eve of old, was determined to taste the
forbidden fruit, and ordered our hero to gather some to boil;
he replied, he had particular orders not to meddle with them;
but she persevered, and at length enforced obedience. The
consequence was, when his master came home, he found
He can speak English tolerably well, and make himself
understood if he chuses, for in his perambulations, on meet-
ing a genteel person, he will stop and tell him in English
that he does wrong to wear a white handkerchief or powder,
or any other ornament that looks gay. No one makes him
any reply, and he proceeds. Upon being asked what is his
religion, he replies, he preaches the “ Christian Religion,’*
not the tenets of any particular sect, but respects the law of
Moses, and if the people will do as he directs, they will be
saved.
From enquiring after this person in his private life, we
learn that he bears the best of characters for honesty, sobrie-
ty and industry, and so perfectly correct is he in his own con-
duct, that he scruples not to check even his employer if he
happen to swear. He left a very good place some time ago
on this account, as the following anecdote of him will show.
When he first came into this country, which was in the
early part of 1810, he worked in Fisher’s soap manufactory
at Stratford, near Bow, maintaining his wife and family with
credit. Here he continued till the end of 1812, when busi-
ness being slack, he was out of employ, but the good cha-
racter given him by his employers procured him work at
Mr. Thomas’s, gardener, near the Black Swan at Bromley.
He performed his daily labours in the garden with chearful-
ness, and in the most constant manner at all times, never
making any objection, whatever the employ might be.
In the summer a space of ground was marked out with
string, to preserve a fine crop of a particular sort of pea,
that Mr. Thomas had reserved for himself, and desired no
one to touch on any account. He having gone to market,
Mrs. Thomas, like Eve of old, was determined to taste the
forbidden fruit, and ordered our hero to gather some to boil;
he replied, he had particular orders not to meddle with them;
but she persevered, and at length enforced obedience. The
consequence was, when his master came home, he found