"baseball" in 1827

[Joel S. Berson]

The ADS-L archives (Dave Wilton, 15 Mar 2011) tell me "baseball"
dates from an assumed 1744, an actual 1760, a Pittsfield by-law of
1791, and the OED 2nd edition's a1817 from Jane Austen.  (I haven't
seen John Thorn's book, and don't plan to look.)  Here's one from
1827, near Austen both in time and place.  I came upon this in EAN
via "pepper game", but it's also accessible in Google Books.  And
apparently not noted in the ADS-L archives.
-----
In:  Our Village: Sketches of Rural Character and Scenery.  Mary
Russell Mitford.  Vol. 2.  Second edition.  London: Geo. B.
Whittaker, Ave-Maria-Lane.  1827.  Page [71-]72.  The sketch is
titled here "Jack Hatch".
-----
      Then comes a sun-burnt gipsy of six [description of girl]; her
longing eyes fixed on a game of baseball at the corner of the green. ...
      So the world wags till ten; then the little damsel gets
admission to the charity school and trips mincingly thither every
morning [description of dress], looking as demure as a Nun, and as
tidy; her thoughts fixed on button-holes, and spelling-books---those
ensigns of promotion; despising dirt and baseball and all their joys.
-----
"This series of sketches of village scenes and vividly drawn
characters was based upon life in Three Mile Cross, a hamlet in the
parish of Shinfield, near Reading in Berkshire, where she
lived."  Austen lived at Steventon, near Basingstoke, in
Hampshire.  Three Mile Cross and Steventon are apparently about 20
miles apart.  (Data from Wikipedia and Google Maps.)

This edition is apparently 5 volumes (see Harvard catalog).  The 1824
edition is only one volume, and I suspect does not contain this
sketch.  The preface to the vol. 2 of 1827 says "The indulgent
reception ... has encouraged the author to extend her work by putting
forth a second volume on a similar plan ...".  I can look at the 1824
volume if the mavens think that would be useful.
-----
This was excerpted in the Rhode-Island American, published as The
Rhode-Island American and Providence Gazette; Date: 08-15-1828;
Volume: LXVI; Issue: 90; Page: [1]; col. 4, where it is titled "The
Village Belle".   EAN.

Joel

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