THIRTY YEARS OF THE REIGN OF VICTORIA.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 162, 22 May 1873, Page 3

THIRTY YEARS OF THE REIGN OF VICTORIA.

PEESONAL HECOLI.BCTIOK9 BY JOHN TIMUS. vrr. To trace the history of so notable a periodical as Punch, now in the thirty-second tear of its eustence, w no easy matter ; more especially as tlie staple of the work is sui generh, and has depended upon the ever-changing aspects ot the above period. All that I can here attempt in sm-h a case is to record »ueh circunist tunes of its origin and early dajs as come within my own knowledge. "Punch," asa Jtrtet show, has existed upwards 6f four centuries ; for, m the manuscript ot the French romance of •' Alexander" in the Bodleian Librarj, al Oxford, which was written and illuminated in the fourteenth century, we see an illustration drawn with great distinctness, the figures bearing a strong resemblance to the modern puppets ot Punch and Judy. The drapery of the lower portion of the puppetshow is richly coloured. This illumination was strangely ou-rlooked by Strutt in his illustrations of "British Sports and Pastimes." My attention was kindly drawn to the illumination, at Oxford, ty Dr Bandmel, in 1859 ; and it is copied in the frontispiece of the second Benes of " Things Not Generally Known," where it is supplemented by five closeh -printed pages of the history of Punch and Judy. Although the art ot "Punch" had been so long known, •scarcely any attempt had been made to journalise the motley hero. Howe\er, m 1837, Albert Smith wrote m the Mirror n piquant sketch of Punch as a street play ; its history having been nine jears previously agreeably written by Mr Payne Collier, to accompany George Cruikshank's masterly etchings Next, in 1811, there appeared m London a little work entitled the Bude Light, the idea taken from the GuSpes of Pans, and edited by the lyrical P. W. N. Baylej , and next, in Bayley's absence, by Mr Mark Lemon ami Mr Stirling Coyne. It was a scant shilling's worth, and was soon dropped. Ne\.t came the Cosmorama, a sort of journal of fashion, m which Albert Smith figured lor a few numbers. This work was printed in the basement of a houso in Crane Court, Fleet Street, and in the same office were printed the earliest numbers ot Punch; or, the London Charivari, which wis started by Mr Henry May hew (stated as its projector), Mr Mark Lemon, Mr Ebenezer Landells, the luckless propret r of the Cosmorama, who, being an engra\e,*, was to superintend the illustrations of Punch. Mr Lemon was the executive editor, and I remember giving him the address of Albert Smith, at Chertsey, but through misdirection the letter was delayed several da) s. Lemon was pleased with Smith's patter verse, and was desirous of his contribution to the forthcoming Punch. One evening late m June I was seated in my attic chambers, in Gray's Inn, when my old friend Landells called, and with some emotion, held in the palm of his hand a small announcement bill, in which, at some distance, I recognised Punch, to be published weekly. I '' cottoned to it," as a worthy old publisher used to say, but instantly doubted the means of supplying a sheet of Punch every week, elso the world would soon be exhausted of it 3 fun. Punch has been described as " a joint speculation of authors, artists, and engravers," by Mr Blanchard Jerrold, in his life of his father. He tells us that a letter was despatched across the water to Douglas Jerrold, begging the Boulogne hermit to join the list of contributors No article reached, however, in time for No 1 ; but in No. 2 appears Douglas Jerrold's first contribution to a periodical in which he was destined to write his mo<t popular works. In his first paper, Punch's political creed was set forth To correct tho errors and extravagances of English life, ba* been described as the earlier object of our motley moralist; but it was soon found that domestic subjects, as they were termed, wero the least popular; henco the succ ess of the journal was discouragingly gradual, the executive means of the management were cramped, and Landell? had to bear much of the up-hill work as his share. I am anxious to place these few facts before the reader" to show the early difficulties of the enterprise, which were chiefly attributable to the mistake of relying only on " dome&t ie subjects." A sheet of Punch's " Valentines" gave a fillip to the treasury; but, as Mr Blancliard Jerrold states, " the success of Pinich was not groat until it passed into the hands of Messrs Bradbury and Evans;" but it was not for three or four years, or even longer, that Punch came to his legitimate bearings, and warranted the farouiable opinions of his promoters. About two months after .Pkh(-A was born, the paperssignedQ , written by Douglas Jeirokl, were commenced, and a*thovproceeded they became, m the phrase of that day, the " backbone of Punch." " Mrs Caudle's Curtain Lectures" were a brilliant exception to the domestic articles ; their wide popularity arising from their attracting a large class of readers who rarely affect politics. Among tho light artillerists of the wits wiw Mr Gilbert Abbott h B icket, who contributed to nearly every number of Punch till within a very short time of his death. TMe humour of his sparkling puns, and the playful irony of his graver papers, were a treisure to the journal from first to last. Besides, he brought with him the experience gained in his Figaro in London, which reached a ( lrculation of 70,000 copies. About this time Mr Lindrlls, in one of his artistic visits to Cambridge, met with Mr Tom Tin lor, who, having completed his university studies, came to London to embark in the profession of letters, Ins first contribution being to the Illuminated Maqaune — a story of Cambridge Life in 1261 — of no special mark. He afterwards contributed to Punch, articles in prose and verse, remarkable for their classic yen c. He next essayed the dramatist's art, in original productions and adaptations of French dramas, and compiled from the journals of Haydon, the painter, his " Autobiography," one of tho best works of modern anecdote. ITi3 skill as an art-critic is well known. He is connected w ith the Board of Health. Thackeray contributed to Punch' broad satire on social distinctions, notablyhis book of' Snobs.' Percival Leigh, known bv his "Comic Latin Grammar," ripened into " Pips, his Diary." Henry Mayhew shone as "great suggester" of the 'party ; and his brother, Horace, w as welcome by tho playfulness nnd domesticity of his papers. Thomas Hood contributed his never-to-be-forgotten " Song of the Shirt," though it was not specially written for Punch. Albert Smith was one of the earliest of the brethren, with Ins " Medical Student," fresh from "the Middlesex;" and his " Sketches of Evening Parties," which wore originally written by him in 1839, for the Literary World. But Smith withdrew from Punch in 18 U; his ratttle grew distasteful, and was subsequehtly attacked in Punch He declared "ho did not care one straw." To control these ofttimes roystering spirits fell to the share of Mark Lomon, who was taken from us in 1870. He has been worthily succeeded m the editorml chair by Shirley Brooks. To the art of Punch, Kenney Meadows contributed, early, his 'poetic fancy and inventive genius; John Leech his charming humour in rustic sports and street play, and pictures of home life, and, above all, of graceful children. Richard Doyle delighted us for a time (shortened by conscientious scruples) with his grotesque drawings of motley life ; yet, strange to say, George Cruikshank, the Nestor of caricaturists, has not drawn a singlo cartoon for Punch's famous gallery of moral painting. Ho had previously, however, been the illustrator of Punchinello, a four-pnged weekly, in which some of the features of Punch were strikingly foreshadowed. The career of Punch has been a memorable one. Politics aside, it has rarely given offence. As one of its objects, from the beginning, was " to correct the errors and extmagance of our English life," certain of those corrected did not uniformly kiss the rod, but retorted in good set terms. Mr Buckingham, the traveller, was one of the->p vulnerable mortals, and Alfred Bunn, was another The pilotage of Punch alnv>-t unharmed through a dangerous sea of trouble, I attribute to the uniformly watchful and discriminating good sense and judgment with which Mark Lemon guided the ship. He was a man of methodical and systematic mind, yet overflowing with generous sympathy. Notwithstanding the success of Punch is mainly attributable to his political capital, a very attractive element has been the Yftried interest and eccentric phonos at domestio Ufi» in-doors and out, our social miseries and enjoyments, and our new fashions and inventions, which have been sedulously recorded by the fa\thful pencil of Punch. Its volumes afford valuable materials for the historians of England. In an admirable prtcis of our facete contemporary, which appeared in the Times of January 2, 1863, I find this nicely balanced estimate, which mu«t command hearty concurrence : — " All the flcoting fashions, the moustache movement, the Cochin-China fancy, the Great Exhibition, tho advent of crinoline, table-turning, horse-taming, baby-jumping, every phase of invention which is uppermost for tho moment, is developed into its drollest varieties here. Yet, after all, the staple of Punch's entertainment consists in the ordinary incident* of domestic life, and these only exaggerated in a very alight degree, in fact ; the burlesque is so delicate, at least in the drawing, that Punch't designs are almost photographs of the ordinary types of society. Paterfamilias, for example, in his London home, with mamma »nd the troublesome olive-branches, or their rpcreation, especially those of the young ladies of tho family at tho sea-jide, where the lavish display of their back hair is almost too much for susceptible Punch and his readers; the eager little bathers who will struggle with their bathing-women ; the saucy boys who dance hornpipes in their sisters' ennoliws; the little angling and boating excursions ; the disphys in tho hunting field, not forgetting Old Brigga ; the plucky boys on their ponies ; the rising generation and tlcir precocious audacities, including those who have left tkeir cigar-cases in their dressing-room, and nre fearful tiat their young brothers will have ah their best regalias ; their smarter equivalents of tho London gamim,, vho throw cart-wheels, chaff policemen and guardsmen, md are particularly facetious when you are a» the door of your dentist ; the London, 'busmen, so accomnDdating to matrons elderly and obese ; the swells at their clubs contomplatmg domestic inoumbrances, or exchanging Dundreary small talk in Rotten Row ; tho new-mnrried courles who forget that they have turned on tho tea-urn ; tin lovers who luxuriate on the balcony, under pretence of contemplating the comet ; the excursions to foreign parts, mA the Gauls ■who reciprocate them, with their stubby bearl and Brutus coiffeur and bumony foet in Parisian boots — ar) faimliur to us everywhere in going or coming, but in Punch hey are treated with a mastery of art, and fun, such as no oue found in them before, is duoncrod ty the mcxhaustblo humour of Leech."

Whatever objection may be taken to special points in the conduct of this periodical, ita influence has on the whole been wholesome, and must be so while attacking vices and follies which are " Safe from the bar, the pulpit, and the throne, " Yet criiahoil ami «liaini'l l>\ ridicule alone."

A Lady's SKrcruu ok Spuugi-.on —A sjuaro, florid face, stout figure, a tine keen tye, ami a. nahuul dcci led manner, very impressive. A stiong, clear voice, i>f much dramatic power, and a way (it walking the pulpit like Father Taylor Jlis sermon was on on "Small Temptations," and he illustrated it by facts .and examples taken from real life, pointing out several of his congi egation, and calling them by name, which oiiginal proceeding seemed to find favor with his people. He used no notes, but talked rather than preached ; and leaning over the railing, urged, argued, prayed, and sang with a hearty eloquence, very effective, and decidedly refreshing after High Church mummery abroad, and drowsy Umtarianisin at home. iNow and then he stopped to give directions for the comfort of his flock in a free and easy manner, which called up irresistible smiles on the faces of strangers. " .Mrs Flacker, you had better take that child into the ante-room; he's tired." " Come this way friends ; there's plenty of room." " Open all the windows, Manning ; it's very warm." And when a sad sort of cry interrupted him, he looked down at an old woman shaking with epilepsy, and mildly remarked, "Don't be troubled, brethren; our sister is subject to fits," and preached tranquilly on. For two hours he held that great gathering, in opitts of heat, discomfort, and other afflictions of the flesh, and ended by saying, m a paternal way, " Now, remember what I've said through the week aud next Suuday show me that I haven't talked in vain." He read a list ot meetings for eveiy night in the week. — • Louisa M. Allcott. A Family or Gi \m'j>.— The O'Neal family are natives of Queen's County, Ireland, ±7 mile-* from Dublin. They | lire born of re*pectablo parents, hard-working farmers. The father stood 6 feet and weighed 27 -tone* The mother is 5 feet 2 inches in height, measures round her arm 2b' inches, across her shoulders 3 feet, round her waist 5 let 6 inches, and weighs the enormous weight of 21 sloues Her oldest son is 25 years of age, stands 6 feet 2 niche-, weighs 18 stones 51bs, and at the present time lie is a Life Guard All the sons and daughters were of large dimensions. Miss Aune O'Neal, the eldest daughter, is 20 jears tf aje ; she stands 5 feet 6 inches in height, and measures round the arm 27 inches, across her shoulders one yard and a-half, round her waist 8 feet, and has the enormous weight of 39 stones. Her youngest sister is 18 years of ago ; she stands 5 feet 2 inches in height, measures rouud her arm 35 niche, and her shoulders 3 feet, round her waist 6 feet, and weighs 23 stones. Her eldest daughter is, as may well bo imagined, on account of her obesity, scarcely able to walk. She appears to be uneasy on her legs, and compelled to lean up against the wall for support. Tho vaccination marks on her arms having increased wit'i Hge and development of adipose tissue, are as large as ordinary saucers. As there is no padding or artificial method employed to enhance the enormous weight of tho specimeus, tho disproportion which strikes the observer between the gigantic bodies and the relatively small, though absolutely lai go, crania, is almost startling. The hands are coarse and large-boned. In Anne O'Neal (affectionately named " Lily " by her smaller relatives), the malar bodies are enormous, and the mouth is much underhung, by the forward projection of the lower jaw. Although the mother shows signs of excessive alcoholic consumption, there is no disease noticeable or complained of ; »nd the subjects do not appear to suffer from any other affection than the inconvenience of having to support so much fat. — The Medical Review. ' Some Curiosities in Nationai, Monet Bokbowing. — The San M'ancisco News Letter bemoans the high rate America has to pay for money in the following strain — " When private individuals propose to loan money, they usually consider tho willingness and capacity of the borrower to repay them, and in the proportion in which these considerations are satisfactory is the question of the amount of interest determined. Precisely the same principle ought, one would think, to prevail in regard to national mono} - borrowing. If it did, then ought the United States to bo able to obtain loans on terms as favourable as the most successful money-borrowing Power on earth. Both our willingness and capaety to repay the national creditors are fully shown by the unparalleled rapidity with which we are doing so. In the history of nations there is nothing like it. Yet most other countries can borrow on more favourable terms than we wo can. English 3 per cent. Consols are almost as high as our G per cent, bonds. United States 6 per cents, are selling at 95, while 'Jie 6 per cents, of a young country like Australia aye selling at 115, Massachusetts' 5 per cents, sell at 8 per cent, discount, while those of New Zealand aro at 2 per cont. premium. The city of Melbourne borrows all the money she wants at from 4 to 5 per cent. ; the city of San Francisco has to puy 11. These are certasuly curiosities in borrowing winch may well lead us to inquire why these things are so. If wo borrowed as cheaply as doe 3 even Australia, we should have many millions less taxes in the year to pay." Thermometers fob Stove Ovens. — We talk about hot, quick, and slow ovens, but it takes a very long experience to enable one to tell by the feeling, or in any other practical manner, just how hot un oven is, until we see its effect on the articles cooked, and then it is too late; nnd it is impossible to communicate to any one else tho precieo temperature which is represented by our ideas of hot, quick, &c. It is* matter of guess-nork after all. In fact, our whole system of cooking is more or less a patched up bystcra of guess-work, both as to the making and baking and boiling of the bimplest articles of our daily food. We have heard of a range being fitted with glass oven doors, winch is a good idea worthy of imitation. Why could not a thermometer also be attached ? We, however, hope to see the time when cooking shall become an exact science ; when we shall not only measure the heat of our ranges with thermometers, and know the precise temperature at which they should be for each variety baked therein, but ohall also know the temperature w Inch our yeast and bread-sponge and cream should be kept ; whon we shall prepare all articles of food by correct recipes, and measure nil ingredients in exact and standard measures, which shall bo alike all over the country, so that mistakes can only occur when we fail to follow the rule. A Kiss, and Whvt Came ok it.— A Missourian who stole a kiss from a pietty girl was fined by a magistrate, horse-whipped by her brother, and hurried into the brain fever by his wife. The clergyman also alluded to the affair in a sermon ; the local editor took, sides with the clergyman and reviewed the case in print ; aud the potato bug ate up every blade of the. malefactor's wheat.