ing to go, not a little
astonished at such scanty hospitality, when other dishes were brought in,
filled with choice viands of every kind--bears from Russia and
Germany--hogs from Ireland--fowls and geese from France--turtle from the
Mediterranean(?)--venison from the parks of the nobility--some in joints,
some quite whole, with their limbs and feet entire. Operations now
recommenced, the carvers doling out the same small quantities as before:
but though many of the gentlemen present were anxious to prevail on me to
partake, and recommended particular dishes, one as being 'a favourite of
the King of the French'--another as particularly rare and exquisite, I
could not be prevailed upon to partake of any. Thus did innumerable dishes
pour and disappear again, the servants constantly changing the plates of
the guests: till I began to form quite a different idea of the appetites
of the guests, and the hospitality of the Lord Mayor, on which I had
thought that a reflection was thrown by the small portions sent to them. I
now saw that many of them, besides being served pretty often, helped
themselves freely to the dishes before them--indeed, their appetite was
wonderfully good: some, doubtless, thinking that such an opportunity would
not often recur. Nor did they forget the juice of the grape--the bottles
which were opened would have filled a ship, and the noise of the champagne
completely drowned the music. One would have thought that, after all this,
no men could eat more: but now the fruits, sweetmeats ices, and jellies
made their appearance, pine-apples, grapes, oranges, apples, pears,
mulberries, and confectionaries of such strange shapes that I can give no
name to them--and before each guest were placed small plates, with
peculiarly shaped knives of gold and silver. Of this part of the banquet I
had the pleasure of partaking, in common with the selfsame gentlemen who
had done such honour to the thousand dishes above mentioned, and who now
distinguished themselves in the same manner on the dessert. The price of
some of the fruit was almost incredible; the reason of which is, that in
this country it can only be reared in glass-houses artificially heated ...
thus the pine-apples, which are by no means fine, cost each twenty rupees,
(L.2,) which in India would be bought for two pice--thus being 640 times
dearer than in our country. Thus in England the poorer classes cannot
afford to eat fruit, whereas in all other countries the