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Estcourt, the comedian, provisor, wearing in that charactera small gridiron of gold hung round his neck with a greensilk ribband. Still more celebrated, perhaps, was the famousKit-Cat club, said to have been instituted at the time of thetrial of the seven bishops in the reign of James II. , but in itsgreatest glory in that of Queen Anne .
In 1735 was established the second Beef-steak club, whichis still in existence, and which has numbered among its mem-bers the most eminent public characters that have appearedsince its institution. This club originated with Rich, thepantomimist, and the Earl of Peterborough, and has con-tinued to the present day to maintain its high celebrity, asthe chosen resort of good-fellowship and conviviality.
The modern clubs are associations of gentlemen of simi-larity of political feeling, literary or professional pursuits—as the Reform, the Carlton, Athenasum, United Service, &c.These are, in no other respect, clubs, according to the ancientEnglish understanding of the term, except that every membermust be balloted for, or admitted by the consent of the rest.They might perhaps be more correctly described as housescombining the characters of restaurants and reading-rooms,for the use of a selected number of associated persons, whoagree to make an annual payment for their support, whetherthey resort to them little or much ; and pay besides for what-ever refreshment they may require, at a cost free of profit.Originating within the present century, and concentratinga large proportion of the men of fortune, station, and poli-tical note in the metropolis, these establishments have cer-tainly had a striking effect upon the manners, not only ofthe departments of society from which the members aredrawn, but upon society in general. They have, indeed,given a new direction to the habits of certain classes, and thechange has been decidedly for the better.
Although it is our province more especially to describethe buildings in which these institutions are domiciled thanthe institutions themselves, a slight account of the origin andprogress of the latter, abbreviated from an interesting sketchin Chambers’ Edinburgh Journal, may not be uninteresting.
It appears that to the military we are indebted for theorigin of these establishments. The officers of the army,whether in camp or quarters, have always experienced theadvantage and economy of clubbing for their provisions.They have found that the pay of each individual, spentseparately, would scarcely procure him ordinary necessaries;whilst, by adding it to a general fund, to be judiciously dis-bursed by an experienced caterer, he would obtain for hissubscription not only requisites, but luxuries.
At the peace of 1815, a reduction of the army withdrewa number of officers from the “ messes ” to which they hadbeen accustomed. Thus a great many gentlemen of com-paratively limited means were thrown into private life, sub-jected to all the expenses and inconveniences of hotels,taverns, and lodging-houses. In many instances long andcontinued absence from home had severed these brave menfrom domestic ties; yet having always lived among a con-genial brotherhood-society, it was essential to their happiness.In these circumstances, the mess-system was naturally thoughtof, and the late General Lord Lynedocli, with five brother-officers, met for the purpose of devising a plan by whicha similar system might be made applicable to non-professionallife. So effectual were their deliberations, and so well-grounded their preliminary measures, that a club was formedduring the same year, (1815), intended, in the first instance,for military men only, but naval officers, as well as military,were afterwards brought within the scope of their design,and an association enrolled, entitled the “ United ServiceClub."
A building fund was formed; a neat edifice, fro ^
designs of Sir Robert Smirke, —was erected at the cor ^
Charles Street, St. James’s, and in the year 1819 t ie ^pg.modern club was opened for the reception of its n>® ,nCandidates for admission, however, increased so rapin'/ fllla larger habitation was rendered necessary. A buiM 1a grand scale, from the plans of Mr. Nash, was erected a ^ gn)east corner of the new entrance to St. James’s Rnr ’■ ^Pall Mall , and taken possession of in 1828, while the 'dence in Charles Street, vacated by the “ United ^Club”—now generally called the “ Senior United Hlfof tb6was taken by a new association, under the title“Junior United Service Club.” , „ ^0
The establishment of the “ United Service Clu ^gespeedily followed by that of others, and the number 0 ^ 0 vt)institutions, which is daily increasing, now amounts ‘ yj.Jlthirty. The principal club-houses are situated in aand its immediate neighbourhood, and a person re- .; g e<JLondon, after an absence of several years, would be s
to see here clustered together a number of mansions
every order of architecture, from the severest ^° rlC gU i)jeri>most florid Composite. The following description, g{ v eof course, to modification in particular instances, " , 0 f 0a tolerably correct idea of the general arrang ernemodern club-house. e difi ce ?’
The visitor on entering one of these palace-like ^ isfinds himself in a lobby, in which are the hall-pori er ’^j. ( ,; i il9seated at a desk, and his assistants. The duty of these ^ tois to see that none have access to the club but mew ^0receive letters, &c. Close to the hall is a recepb 0 ^ j 1# U,for strangers wishing to see members, and beyond ;!>us a P*Cor vestibule, from which doors open on the vario ^ |jl0r nments on the ground-floor. Of these there is, f> rst ndwri*:mg room, which is used for reading newspapers an ^letters. And to give some idea of the liberal scale 0
these morning-rooms are supplied, and of the P r ® s t»t eperiodicals taken in by the large clubs, it may D g[]nJ ^that at the Athenaeum, in the year 1844, t* 1 ® n e"' 3 ’
£471. 2s. 6d. was expended for English and f 01 "® 1 .^ topapers and periodicals. Stationery also is supp 11unlimited extent. m tito e
The “coffee-room” is furnished with rows of sr ®projecting from each side, with an avenue up t ’ t |jj to uThese tables are laid for breakfasts and luncheon too’clock in the day, after that hour they are arr ^ ft y to®dinners. For the accommodation of members w'i j 0 g<d' lC |jinclined to form themselves into parties to dine gito‘in preference to the detached mode of dining a ^y totables of the coffee-room; a dining-room, hand®^^yca® g ,nished, is provided on the ground-floor, in whicn u jjo aSso — these dinners are termed, in club-parlauce,
tlto
dinners.”
‘ 2' r ° L
The principal apartment above stairs is the dra' vl go^in which members take their evening coffee or tea ' j g to" .clubs a great display of luxury and expensivene , a pS . ein this room, and, notwithstanding that it i s P te of f) ,used than jmy room in the house, the finest ‘ {0 ito 0 ,^decorator and upholsterer is called into requ> slt '° ^ up qVit. Near to the drawing-room is the library, “ £ C , ,j 0
every convenience for reading, consulting map s > g0 t 0[^books are accumulated by donations, and by a ® u e libr® 1 ^from the general funds for their purchase, j 1 j ii]t ofare generally well supplied with books, five
lOl"’
Athemeum is said to contain near 30,000 volumes j nC rc
O'* 1 ’
xvuieiitBLiJii is sum tu uuuuuii uciu • -- jiiv
dred pounds is annually expended by this club 0 . r0Lits library. Near the library is, in some clubs,gaming is as much as possible discouraged in the