Chapter Seven - 1817 – 1819

Summary

This year began with Mrs M – as the preceding year had done, with ushering in the gout, not however as then, slightly in the foot, but violently in the hand for which I in the afternoon of Jan’y the first, procured her some leeches, which she applied but without any apparent effect, the operations of which secured unluckily to form the chief amusement to my grandsons, who had before been invited to dine with us this day…

At this time [the second week of January] the weather continuing very wet there were great floods about & water getting into many of the cellars at Chichester, particularly in the southern parts of the town…

On the next […] evening [14 January] [I] played quartettos & supped at my sons’ with Mess’rs P. Miller & Palmer, all of whom I met in the Thursday evening after at Mr Millers’, when we tried over some of the pieces for the next day's concert, the second of the subscription ones, which was attended by upwards of 300 people, all of whom seemed much pleased with the vocal exertions of Miss Goodall, Mess’rs Hawes, Terrail and Clarke, in several songs duets & glees, besides which we performed the Gloria in excelsis of Pergolesi, & Hallelujah in Saul, & some of Lock's Macbeth, & began the 2^d. act with my 20^th. Symphony in B[ which I chose in order to shew off Mr. Palmer in the fagotto obligato in the Rondeau, which he however hurried over in such a manner as to spoil it. As this concert was considered in lieu of Mr. Bennett's annual benefit, there was a ball afterwards, & he received all the nonsubscriptions at s6 each, which amounting to more than 100. he did very well …

[At the end of 1816 Marsh had been co-opted into a “secret” sub-committee charged with distributing funds to the needy. During the course of January a poster campaign in the city alleged that funds were not reaching their intended target. One list of names had added to it “To the poor, 0. 0. 0”. As was his habit when he felt unjustly attacked, Marsh entered into a vigorous defence of the probity of the committee, which was quickly exonerated.]