THACKERAY & "PUNCH."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1599, 16 November 1912, Page 9

THACKERAY & "PUNCH."

Thackeray's ifctive connection with "Punch", began in 18-12 and ended in 1854. but. his "Punch" friendships continued to the end. Till within a few days of his death he was a frequent guest; at the celebrated weekly dinner. .Thackeray's talk, with that of others, was caught and set down -by Henry Silver, a young lawyer, ,who. joihed . the , paper, in- 1858, and for twelve years kept • a record of every dinner ■he attended. . Upon Silver's diary E. V; Lucas has drawn generously - ..in writing of Thackeray's table-talk-for the "Outlook," and' tho. "Fortnightly Re--view." Silver's first meeting witli Thackeray at. the. Table was., in r .October; 1858. Tho new recruit had been a student at. ; Charterhouse, and 'enough to win Thackeray to. ; any man.'-The author of ."Vanity Pair"; that . night seems'. to have' discoursed mainly on where tlie : Wst.champagne,.claret, and beer in Lon-' ;don were to be had. On no subsequent ocoasion is anrthng profound represented 'as coming from that distinguished source. The interest is - rather in what was said about Thackeray .by others., Tom Taylor thought him the most unhappy, of men,'a sufferer in body and mind. Leigh', characterise him as a man who despised-: Vanity Fair, and despised himself for: .taking pleasure in it. Under thtf dafyv; NoVcmber 6, 18G0, Silver records a typipa Thaclcerayan verse, cited' as an example ' :ol ingenious rhyming: ' '.jj?' . some intelligent officer be seht toVthe'' ''' front, ... - v Hardman, step- forward, said Sir ,-Henry Vivien; KiC.B., and bear, the battle's brunt.. :. ..; Thackeray once described Tennyson as the greatest .man of his age, whereupon Shirley Brooks declared that "Vanity ■ Fair" ranked higher than anything of Tennyson's. Brooks asked: "Would you change your reputation for his?." "Yes," said Thackeray, but. was not . believed. .His method: of writing, when he' was editor of the - "Gornhill," was to spend two days in thinking out -a Roundabout paper and. a; day-,in writing it. But he iapparently contradicts himself on an-, other' occasion when -he says : that he writes only when .he sits down, to .write; as soon as he got;-his .nose to his ideas came. That .'was in April," 1863. died on Christmas, Eve. Hor--aco Mayhew [brought; the :news: to tho, "Punch" dinner towards the end of the evening, and tho guests joined in singing Thackeray's own ballad, "The 'Mahogany Tree," written in-honour of that very-in-stitution: . ' .'' Here let us sport, • ,- , Boys, as "we sit; ." ..v.vLaughter and wit / Flashing so free. . .... ;■ Life i 9 but short— ■; When we are gone, .. Let, them, sing on ' - - " Bound the. old tree; ;- Horace Mayhew led'the, Song. "i;cannot conceive how he' ever' got through," says, Mr. Lucas. -," - '-Evenings we'knew, ; ■ Happy: as this;. " . . Face's we miss, ■ , ■ ' ' v • Pleasant to see. '. Kind hearts and true, . • . Gentle and just, ,'i . -Peace to your dust! .We sing round the tree.'

The death has occurred of Mr. Eowland Nood, of; Thrapstou. a breeder and'-jiidge of Shbrtliorns and Shire horses, who liad his'. coffin made twenty years ago after .someone had remarked to him, "I should .like' to- see you in your'coffin."