“The treasury of knowledge and library reference“

AS DRUNK AS DAVID’S SOW 1 A common saying, which took its rise from the following cir- cumstance : David Lloyd, a Welshman, who kept an alehouse at Hereford, had a living sow with six legs, which was greatly resorted to by the curious : he had also a wife much addicted to drunkenness, for which he used sometimes to give her due cor- rection. One day, David’s wife having taken a cup too much, and being fearful of the consequence, turned out the sow, and laid down to sleep herself sober. Company coming to see the sow, David ushered them into the stye, saying, ” There is a sow for you ! Did any of you ever see such another ? ” all the while sup- posing the sow to have been there. To which some of the company, seeing the state the woman was in, replied, ” That it was the drunkennest sow that had ever been beheld;” whence the woman was ever after called “David’s Sow.”

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MIND YOUR P’S AND Q’S. This expression arose from the ancient custom of hanging a slate behind the alehouse door, on which was written P or Q (i. e., Pint or Quart} against the name of each customer, according to the quantity which he had drunk, and which was not expected to be paid for till the Saturday evening, when the wages were settled.

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Sir, the Irish had no civilation, civization, civilation I mean.’ Finding, however, his efforts to get civilization out impracticable, he sat down with the satisfaction of having added a new word to our language. Every drunken man ever since is here said to be in a state of civilation.

Dr. Maginn's poem of Daniel O'Rourke, iv. 35.
" Said he, ' Tis certain that I was not right
To get into this state of civilation. 9 "
"The treasury of knowledge and library reference"

Alcohol in Australia: the intertwining 
of social and personal histories
an interview with Milton Lewis

EXTRACT: 

Anglo-Celtic baggage
 It’s clear that heavy drinking was an established cultural norm transported to Australia along with other Anglo-Celtic cultural baggage. At the time of colonisation of Australia, it was the norm in Europe to drink heavily. It was the time of the gin epidemics which were devastating communities in Britain. Alcohol in Europe had long served as a food and source of nutrition as the diets of the time were very restricted and there wasn’t a lot else to choose from. In some 19th century cities alcohol was also seen as a real alternative to water, or to anything that was water-based, because of problems of pollution. All these different factors led to traditions of heavy drinking being brought to Australia on the first fleets. Once in Australia, these heavy drinking traditions contributed significantly to the destruction of Indigenous culture.

 

GOVERNMENT NOTICE

SECRETARY’S OFFICE, June 13, 1818

JOHN FOLEY, Constable of Hobart Town, is dismissed for Neglect of Duty and Drunkenness.

Samuel Hood, Secretary.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article654663

The Hobart Town Gazette… Saturday 13 June 1818,

OR NOT TO BE DISMISSED :

THE CASE OF THE SECOND MASTER OF THE FREE GRAMMER SCHOOL which includes in part;

Master Blaxland was introduced to the Meeting, a fine youth of about 12 or 14 years of age, who narrated a most artless tale of actual fighting and drunkenness on a particular Sabbath, about a month prior to Christmas last ; he said further, that Mr. Laurence Halloran was intoxicated almost every Sabbath, and also that he was addicted to swearing.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2185471

The Sydney Gazette and… Saturday 18 March 1826,

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO CAPTAIN OSTLER. POOR CAPTAIN OSTLER. MISSING FROM HIS SHIP.

Captain Ostler told me, that he had been obliged to suspend his Chief Officer, Mr. Rowe, in consequence of being drunk every day, and that he afterwards was not fit to do his duty. (Signed) H. 0. Acker,

Goverment Resident

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2449501

Colonial Times and Tasmanian… Friday 16 February 1827

Starkle, starkle, little twink,
Who the hell you are I think.
I’m not under what they call
The alcofluence of incohol.

I’m not drunk as thinkle peep,
I’m just a little slort of sheep.
Tee martoonis make a guy
Fool so feelish, don’t know why.

Rally don’t know who’s me yet
The drunker I stay the longer I get
So just one more to full my cup,
I’ve all day sober to Sunday up!

FUNNY JUNK

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2185467

The Sydney Gazette and… Saturday 18 March 1826, page 3.

Hannah Moss, free, whose squalid and repulsive appearance might have set her above the imputation of being of that loose description of character, which she afterwards was proved to be, was sentenced as a notorious prostitute to the muse of correction, (the Factory; for 3 months. And a man (a settler from the countrv) who had given her into charge for having robbed bim of two dollars whilst he was in a state of intoxication, was fined 5s. to the poor for being drunk.

POLICE REPORT

SYDNEY      

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2187687

The Sydney Gazette and… Friday 16 February 1827, page 3.

FEBRUARY 10 – John Noblet, was placed at the bar for frequently absenting himself from his master’s service and returning drunk and abusive ; yesterday he said he would go into barracks, and accordingly walked off, but returned in the evening quite pot-valiant and abusive ; 10 days on the tread-mill.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2189967

The Sydney Gazette and… Monday 25 February 1828, page 2.

John Ward, free, was charged with being found drunk and disorderly in the public street. The constable, in this case, seemed to have some doubts as to whether the prisoner was drunk within the .meaning of the law, inasmuch as it was particularly deposed that he could walk. The prisoner, however, admitted that he had got a little grog, and the Bench being of opinion that he had got a little too-much, sentenced him to pay the usual fine, or in default, to be elevated for four hours in the market place.

Samuel Astley, free, found lying drunk in the street, and almost naked, was sentenced to meditate for four hours in the stocks.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2200795

The Sydney Gazette and… Saturday 28 May 1831, page 3.

Mary Folle,a weekly debutante at the Police Office, whom his Worship recommended to try an hour’s residence in a bag at tho bottom of the sea, was charged by her dearly beloved spouse with being drunk, teazing the life out of him, and threatening to dunfounder him, for which affectionate behaviour she was ordered three hours in the stocks.

Robert Mitchell, assigned to Mr. Robinson, was brought up by constable Shady, who found him ” by the side of a murmuring stream,” to wit, the gutter, reposing in the oblivious effects of Cooper’s colonial. Being asked what he had to say for himself, ” why, I was only drunk,” growled Robert Mitchell, so the Bench ordered him to be only worked on the mill.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2208343

The Sydney Gazette and… Saturday 1 September 1832, page 3. News

Denis O’Rafferty, a rare boy from the finest gem of the sea, was charged with threatening to alitterate half a score of constables, because they advised him to go to his home, instead of breaking the peace of the King’s lieges, in which he was busily occupied by singing at the top of his voice;

” Down the lane o’er the way,

There’s a little whiskey shop,

Where you know very well.

You may get a little drop.”

The ” lane,” and the ” whisky-shop,” however, had no existence but in his fertile brain, for he was reposing at the time on the middle of the race-course. Denis now tried to look as tame as an Irishman could do, and walked off very contentedly to the stocks, to undergo a couple of hours ablution in the rain, of which, by the way, his clothes stood in some need.