Opening of the Viaduct
by the Queen

Come lads and lasses, be up in a jiffy,
The Queen is about to visit the City,
That her visits are so scarce, we think it a pity,
She will open the Viaduct and Bridge.
With the Lord Mayor Elect like a porpoise,
Big round as an elephant is his old corpus,
To see this great sight nothing shall stop us,
Gog and Magog shall dance with the Queen.

Oh dear, what can the matter be,
The Queen she is coming on a velocipede,
How nicely she treads it with high heels and
buckles.—
She will open the Viaduct and Bridge.

The Mayor, Mr Lawrence will take off his hat,
He would like to be Whittington without
the cat,
There's old Alderman Besley, all blubber and fat,
They are going to welcome the Queen,
Girls of the period, of every station,
With hair down their backs of all occupations,
That would frighten Old Nick out of this
nation,
It's all just to please our good Queen.

All the good clothes that is got upon tally,
They'll put on this day as they look at the
valley,
Dusty Bob, Tom, and Jem, and African Sally,
These bye-gones will visit the Queen.
All the old horses will jump for joy,
'Twas up Holborn Hill that did them annoy,
I remember truck dragging when I was a boy,
Good luck to the Viaduct and Bridge.
There will be all nations ashore and afloat,
Old Jack Atcheler will cut his throat,
No horses are killed, no cat's meat afloat,
All through this great Viaduct and Bridge.
The cabman will dance in every passage,
Cow Cross is done up, you wont get a sassage,
You can travel the Viaduct like a telegraph
message,
Now they've opened the Viaduct & Bridge.

The banners and flags will go in rotation,
Emblems of things of every nation,
The workmen of England and emigration
And old Besley fighting for Mayor.
Lawrence is down as flat as a flounder,
On his belly stands the trumpet type founder,
The Aldermen in rotation playing at rounder,
When they open the Viaduct and Bridge.

Next comes the Queen, so pretty indeed,
How nicely she sits on the velocipede,
With high heels and buckles she treads with
ease,
She's getting quite young is our Queen
That Alderman Salomon out of the lane,
He holds up so stately poor Vickey's train,
Prince of Wales and Prince Tick will come
if they can,
Just to open the Viaduct and Bridge.

Horses and donkeys will caper like fleas,
No more sore shoulders and broken knees,
The animal Society may take their ease,
Good-bye to the once Holborn Hill.

---

H. Disley, Printer, 57, High Street, St. Giles, London.

SOURCE: Curiosities of Street Literature, London, Reeves and Turner, 196, Strand, 1871.