Men of mark 'twixt Tyne and Tweed . , had a flourish-ing circulating library at Amen Corner, William Charnley started in1757 a rival establishment in the Flesh Market, where he announcedthat he had two thousand volumes to lend to subscribers atthree shillings a-quarter or twelve shillings a-year. Barber reducedhis price to meet the competition, but Charnley flourished notwith- 542 WILLIAM AND EMERSON CHARNIEY. standing. In course of time he limited his business to the publish-ing and selling of books, and gave up the library to Richard Fisher,a member of his own craft, and parish clerk of St.
Men of mark 'twixt Tyne and Tweed . , had a flourish-ing circulating library at Amen Corner, William Charnley started in1757 a rival establishment in the Flesh Market, where he announcedthat he had two thousand volumes to lend to subscribers atthree shillings a-quarter or twelve shillings a-year. Barber reducedhis price to meet the competition, but Charnley flourished notwith- 542 WILLIAM AND EMERSON CHARNIEY. standing. In course of time he limited his business to the publish-ing and selling of books, and gave up the library to Richard Fisher,a member of his own craft, and parish clerk of St. Nicholas, bywhose executors it was transferred to a more famous circulator still—Robert Sands of the Bigg Market. In a sketch of Early Booksellers on the Tyne, Mr. Clephan,relating the career of William Charnley, associates him with the old,old story of the pitman and the ear-trumpet:—Afflicted withdeafness, the bookseller softened his infirmity by the use of an ear-trumpet ; and having one day asked his way beyond the walls of. WILLIAM CHARXLKV, Newcastle of a pitman who had never seen the contrivance before,he clapped the instrument to his ear to catch the answer. Nay,man ! cried the collier, with the air of one too wide-awake to beimposed upon, thoos not gan te mek me believe thoo can play thattrumpet wi thy lug ! So the story goes; but it also goes in otherways. William Charnley, continues Mr. Clephan, conducted hisbusiness on old Tyne Bridge till it fell, and by its fall broughtembarrassment to the tradesmen who were thus summarily flood of 1771 broke down the arches, wrecked the superstruc- WILLIAM AND EMERSON CHARNLEY. 543 ture, and ruined the houses and shops of the narrow and millinery, soft goods and hardware, sunk into thewaters, and were swallowed up in the inundation. Not until twoyears had elapsed from the time of the calamity was Charnley in acondition to resume his vocation. In the first week of December,1773, he apprises his
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