Exhibitions, Medical Treatment, Periodicals, Reading, Race, Amusement,
Internationalism
Shows Mr Punch (clad in his court jester garments) serving glasses of liquid
from a large bowl marked 'The Very Best of Physic', a reference to
Punch's belief in its therapeutic qualities. The bowl is surrounded by
representatives of various nations and in the background can be seen the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>.
Shows a woman standing on a stool on the flat area between the roofs of two
houses. Above her are some telegraph lines on which she has evidently been
hanging her washing. Much to her surprise, she sees a large cloth hanging on
the line with a message from her husband. The illustration plays on
contemporary perceptions that messages sent through lines were inscribed on
tangible objects such as rolled up pieces of paper.
Explains that the reason
Paul B Du
ChailluDu Chaillu, Paul Belloni
(1831–1903)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> got 'so angry as he did when he was chaffed about the
Gorilla' was because 'his monkey was up'.
Urges that an act should be passed requiring 'every miner on descending into
the coal pit, shall [...] take his
DavyDavy, Sir Humphry, Baronet
(1778–1829)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> [i.e. his Davy
lamp]'.
Punch, 42 (1862), [x].
Sanitary Directions for Servants (For the Nursemaid)
Domestic Economy, Medical Treatment, Medical Practitioners, Health,
Human Development, Sanitation
Includes the advice that 'the hotter your nursery the better, or the
children will catch cold', and 'Always give children whatever they cry for.
Nature teaches them to express their wants, which it would be cruelty to
thwart'. Also, 'Wash the floor of the nursery often. The evaporation will
assimilate the atmosphere indoors to that outside, and save the children from
sudden changes of temperature'.
Shows a gorilla turning, with one hand, the handle of a barrel organ, and
holding, in the other hand, a rope to which is attached an organ grinder. The
caption explains this clever role-reversal following claims regarding the
intelligence of simians: 'The lazy organ grinders have had it all their own way
with the monkeys—now then—change about!'.
Suggests that
Samuel WarrenWarren, Samuel
(1807–77)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> 'or
some equally eminent Master in Lunacy' should investigate 'the particular
madness that hatters are subject to'.
Reports on a paper read by
M
ToutmonoeilToutmonoeil, M
(fl. 1862)
PU1/42/1/2 CloseView the register entry >> at the
Académie des Sciences,
ParisAcadémie des Sciences, Paris CloseView the register entry >>, on 'the proposed treatment of hydrophobia on the homeopathic
principle that like cures like'. Explains how Toutmonoeil intends to inoculate
patients bitten by dogs with the poison of a rattlesnake, but that the savant
has not been able to find anybody willing to submit to his experiments.
Argues that the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>
should include non-material articles including 'political and social
inventions' and those of a 'moral and scientific character'. Suggests awarding
a prize for 'the producer of an equitable Income-Tax' and calls on a
'financier, arithmetician, or mathematician' to solve this problem.
Noting newspaper reports of the large number of birds, rabbits, mice, and
other animals caught in France, discusses a 'petition from a number of French
naturalists' protesting against the hunting of birds on the grounds that this
action increases the number of 'cockroaches and caterpillars' and other insects
that wreak havoc on corn and fruit crops. Notes that the petition urged 'les
Sportmen' to confine their killing to 'rather larger game'. Presents an extract
from a letter in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
expressing similar views to the French naturalists. Concludes by calling for an
end to 'this suicidal hedgerow warfare' and noting Mr Punch's intention to
shoot any knave caught taking 'pot-shots' at sparrows.
Questions the claim that 'an evening with an Orrery or some stale Dissolving
Views, or a nice long-winded lecture about Optics or Pneumatics, the Air-Pump
or the Diving-Bell, is now far more to the taste of the rising generation than
the frivolous and uninstructive pleasures of the stage'.
Exploration, Animal Behaviour, Controversy, Language, Cultural
Geography
Presenting an extract from an article in the
Oswestry
AdvertiserOswestry Advertiser
(1849–88)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> which describes the engagements of the 'Llanddyfan
and Llanfairmathafarnneithaf choirs', the author professes to be 'tired of the
DU
CHAILLUDu Chaillu, Paul Belloni
(1831–1903)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> controversy' and does not want to bother friends
with more information about the 'Gorilla countries', amongst which these Welsh
locations are included.
The initial letter is made from an illustration showing a gorilla dressed in
the costume of a peasant (possibly an Irishman), entering a door marked 'GRAY
VISITORS', a reference to
John E GrayGray, John Edward
(1800–75)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. The text
acknowledges that 'the Gorilla Portrait Sell is not a bad one', but thinks what
is neater is 'one of Mr. Punch's young men', who, on being offered a copy of
the portrait, replied, '"Nos etiam in Arcadiâ"—"I too have
been in the
Lowther
ArcadeLowther Arcade, Strand CloseView the register entry >>"' (where gorilla portraits were sold).
Lecturing, Religious Authority, Animal Behaviour, Zoology
Discussing the need for clergymen to develop their oratorical skills in the
theatre, the author points out that he does not intend clergymen to rehearse
comic parts, although these would 'serve admirably to train up a candidate for
the
Metropolitan TabernacleMetropolitan Tabernacle
CloseView the register entry >> in the way he
should preach, or lecture on Shrews and the Gorilla'—a reference to
Charles H
Spurgeon'sSpurgeon, Charles Haddon
(1834–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> lectures on those subjects.
Language, Nationalism, Cultural Geography, Human Species, Human
Development, Animal Behaviour
Discusses a report of
John S Blackie'sBlackie, John Stuart
(1809–95)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
recent lecture on the 'nationality and character' of the Scots. Notes ascription by
James Burnett (Lord Monboddo)Burnett, James, Lord Monboddo
(bap. 1714–99)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
of 'tails to aboriginal Scots, in common with the rest of mankind'.
Reports that Blackie has reduced the Scot to a lower level, considering him to
be an 'animal' with several characteristics, including 'working', being
'enterprising and adventurous', 'practical and utilitarian', and 'earnest,
serious, devout, and religious'. Concludes by opining that 'Calvinism was the
religion of a brute' and anticipates that a Cockney might characterise the Scot
as 'an animal ordained by nature to graze on the prickly herbage of the Land of
Thistles'.
Homeopathy, Disease, War, Medical Treatment, Mental Illness
Discusses a report in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> of
two Union military generals in America who used homeopathy to treat their
diseases with some success. Believes that because they have submitted to
homeopathy they are not fit to 'direct military operations' and that there is a
danger that it will be 'all gone goose with the Federal cause'. Adds that the
only reason for thinking that the homeopathic treatment was 'anything but
humbug' was the observation that it seemed to aggravate the condition of one of
the patients, and accordingly suggests that homeopathy is a 'cause of
disease'.
Subtitled 'Or, A Glorious Oyster Season for the Lawyers', this illustration
shows a crowd of lawyers eating oysters, surrounding a wooden tub marked
'LUNATICO INQUIRY'. In front of the tub stands the allegorical figure of
British Justice. This is a reference to the ongoing inquiry into the mental
competency of
William F
WindhamWindham, William F
(1840–66)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, an inquiry featuring testimony from some of the greatest
lawyers of the day, and which provided a wonderful opportunity (an 'Oyster
Season') for English barristers.
Commerce, War, Pollution, Sanitation, Public Health, Exhibitions,
Nationalism, Cultural Geography, Engineering, Agriculture
Questioning the costly 'war-preparations' (against the United States),
emphasises the amount of work there is to do in Britain, including the need to
'hold a position in our
ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>', as well as the
'draining' of London, the construction of the
Thames
EmbankmentThames Embankment
CloseView the register entry >>, the purification of the Thames, and the 'utilisation of
sewage'.
In a play on the title of
Darwin 1859Darwin, Charles
Robert 1859. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection; or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,
London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>, announces the
publication of a work by
Charles R
DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> on 'the Extinction of Specie, dedicated to the Secretary of
the Treasury and the Bankers of New York'—a reference to the great
financial debt into which America has sunk as a result of the Civil War.
Criticizes the amount of money (£15–£20,000) spent on the
legal case to determine whether 'a young man',
William F
WindhamWindham, William F
(1840–66)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, 'is insane or no in order to decide as to his fitness for
managing his affairs'. Points out that 'Every wild young man almost is unfit to
manage his affairs' and so 'proper people should be appointed to take care of
his estates' and he should be made 'incapable of running into debt or of
marrying without the consent of his guardians'. The writer believes that if one
of her seven daughters were to marry a 'simpleton' she would enjoy a quiet
life, and in a postscript asks for a 'rich imbecile young man that would suit
my child' for 'the only true Asylum for Idiots is Woman's Heart'.
Discusses two extracts from a 'contemporary' (i.e. another periodical). The
first puffs
'DU
BUNCOMBE'SDu Buncombe, Mr
(fl. 1862)
PU1/42/5/2 CloseView the register entry >> Delicious Health Restoring Polenta Syriaca Food'
as an alternative to expensive, harmful, and ineffective 'pills and other
medicines' used for gastric disorders. The second puffs
'GULLOWAY'S' (i.e.
Thomas
Holloway'sHolloway, Thomas
(1800–83)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) pills as unsurpassed solutions for 'regulating
digestion'. Points out that these extracts appeared without headings and might
be taken to be editorial statements, and goes on to stress the contradictions
between them. Believes that 'Old women and others who have read the foregoing
contradictory species of puffery, will be as much puzzled as wiser persons are
by the opposite tenets of numerous gentlemen who sign the thirty-nine articles,
and yet unite in condemning
DR. ROWLAND
WILLIAMSWilliams, Rowland
(1817–70)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>'. The reference is to the prosecution of Williams,
starting in December 1861, for contributions to
Temple 1860[Temple, Frederick
et al.] 1860. Essays and Reviews, London: J. W. Parker
CloseView the register entry >> considered by the
Anglican authorities to be contrary to the church's teachings on the plenary
and verbal inspiration of the Bible.
Discusses an improved design for the policeman's helmet which, unlike the
traditional design which tends to overheat, 'unites ventilation with
elegance'.
Ethnology, Race, War, Commerce, Cultural Geography, Human Species,
Animal Behaviour
Summarises a paper putatively given at the
Ethnological
SocietyEthnological Society of London
CloseView the register entry >> on the 'manners, habits, and destinies of the American
tribe of I.O.U. Indians', who turn out to be Old World white settlers who have
gained a reputation of not repaying debts. Noting the English origins of the
tribe, explains that the 'deteriorating influences of climate, and still more a
vast infusion of inferior animalism, in the form of convict Irish, deboshed
Germans, and the accumulated scum of other nations, combined to demoralise the
Englishman, and a few generations have brought him more and more closely into
assimilation with the aboriginal Indians of the Western Continent'. Goes on to
discuss some of the other disagreeable characteristics of tribe members,
including their 'strange hatred for the black man', but thinks that exposure to
'European civilisation' will redeem the tribe.
Referring to a tragic explosion at the
Hartley
CollieryHartley Colliery, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne CloseView the register entry >> near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the poet asks that the 'sad
Survivors' of the disaster be made 'Miners too, / To work, through life, a
gold-mine oped by you'.
Notes the observation made by 'several scientific observers' that 'the
physiognomy of the American of the United States is beginning to exhibit a
resemblance to that of the Red Indian', a development signified by the
Confederate army's 'barbarous act' of sinking a stone fleet at Charleston
Harbour (Fort Sumter). Anticipates that
Thomas B
Macaulay'sMacaulay, Thomas Babington, 1st Baron Macaulay
(1800–59)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> 'New Zealander' would find New York inhabited by
Americans who have descended to the America Indian 'level of humanity'.
Another representation of the alarming evidence showing the harmful
quantities of arsenic used in making the artificial leaves in women's wreaths.
It shows a skeleton of a woman clad in a large crinoline dress with the suspect
wreath, being invited to a dance by the skeleton of a man dressed in evening
wear.
Light, Instruments, Amusement | Invention, Sanitation,
Patronage, Government
The initial letter of the text is formed from an illustration showing a
magic lantern projecting an image—of Mr Punch pursuing a street
musician—into the distance. The text concerns a spoof letter from Charles
Francis Adams to Harper Twelvetrees on the subject of the United States
government's patronage of Twelvetrees's washing crystals, bug-powders, and
other inventions.
Describes a proposed 'incision' to the 'right lung'—Kensington
GardensKensington Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>—of London. Explains that this cut will be deep in
order to establish communication between Bayswater and Kensington Gore, a
decision informed by the demands of the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>, and
thus illustrating the sacrifice of 'natural objects' for 'material interests'
and 'manufactures of a rich and magnificent kind'.
Concentrates on the author's claim that
William
ShakespeareShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> acquired his profound knowledge of slang through
attendance at law courts, and notes the possibility that the playwright's
knowledge of slang was so extensive that he acquired it 'by the study of
everything, by intuition', or because he was a medium. Insists that the
playwright's 'genius towers above the mediocrity that marks the utterances of
the most eminent "mediums"' and can be explained in terms of a 'natural
clairvoyance', which 'enabled him to look into all manner of things'.
Complains about the type of person who 'stumps' noisily out of concert halls
during a musical performance, and considers that 'such a Gorilla is a monster
whom it were gross flattery to call a selfish beast'. Applauds 'all champions
who fight against these monsters, and lend a helping hand to make their race
extinct'.
Noting the opposition to the movement of the statue of
Edward JennerJenner, Edward
(1749–1823)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>,
suggests that 'surely the inventor of vaccination has the best possible right
to make experiments on various spots'.
Environmentalism, Nationalism, Hunting, Development, Evolution, Animal
Behaviour, Aesthetics, Pollution, Industry
Urges that trees be preserved and despairs at the day when the 'woodman's
stroke' will have destroyed all forests. Upholds the 'merry greenwood' that is
ridiculed by 'Folly's mocking brood', and observes how 'every lover of copse
and cover' will lament the hunting of animals as the trees are felled. Goes on
to criticise the construction of buildings on village greens and commons,
actions that suggest that the race is 'sinking to Gorillas'. Anticipates the
transformation of 'fields and towns' into 'a close hotbed' and in conclusion
ponders the possibility of thwarting the 'ruin and wreck / Of all old English
beauty', polluted by 'traffic and trade', and mammon.
Presenting an advertisement for a projected 'SHAKESPEAREShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
CYCLOPAEDIA' containing the playwright's allusions to such
scientific subjects as zoology, botany, and mineralogy, criticises the work as
'humbug' on the grounds that Shakespeare cannot be considered a 'cyclopaedic
authority'.
Following news that the python at the
Zoological Society
GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >> is now 'incubating more than 100 eggs', this poem opens by
calling for preparations to be made for 'this great egg-sample', and for
Fellows of the
Zoological
SocietyZoological Society of London
CloseView the register entry >> to 'endorse their tickets' for 'Mrs. Python'. Compares this
number of eggs to the single egg once laid in the gardens by a viper, and
anticipates how 'a
GRAYGray, John Edward
(1800–75)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
or
OWENOwen, Richard
(1804–92)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>' will observe changes to
the 'scaly family brood'. Likens the 'unwinding' of the 'closely-woven tails'
to a
W Wilkie
CollinsCollins, William Wilkie
(1824–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> narrative, and then compares the python to an attorney who
is 'strong to squeeze at will, / With coils as slippery as their gripe is
stout'. Goes on to note that Owen will be instructing the young pythons 'how to
coil', and anticipates their development from school students to species 'As
vicious as the wildest of their kin'. Anticipates how the pythons will be 'as
thick as bores are now' and be seen swinging from trees, and notes the
beneficial effect of sunshine on egg development.
Physiology, Class, Disease, Heredity, Race, Medical Treatment, Human
Species, Microscopy, Human Development, Prehistory, Palaeontology
Discusses an announcement of a medical work that describes the
'BLOOD OF THE ARISTOCRACY' (Evans 1861Evans, William
Washington 1861. The Blood of the Aristocracy: Its Origin. Pure
Blood: Its Origin. Disease: Its Origin. Health: Its Origin. And Beauty: Its
Origin, London: Houlston and Wright
CloseView the register entry >>). Interprets the announcement to mean that
aristocrats' blood is 'very pure' but 'contains the seeds of eruptive
complaints, of the nervous system and respiratory and digestive organs'.
Wonders whether such blood contains 'finer globules than that of the common
people' or 'a principle of honour' which might be given such names as 'Race',
'Pedigrine', and 'Nobbine'. Goes on to consider the effects of tranfusing the
blood of one aristocrat into another, and concludes that the origin of the
'pure blood' of an aristocrat would be an 'interesting subject of inquiry' if
that individual were a 'king of men' and 'chipped the flints in the drift'.
Argues that the best way to train a child is to make it behave in a
disorderly fashion on a railway train (a reference to the trial of
William F
WindhamWindham, William F
(1840–66)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>) which 'may lead him to a commission of lunacy' and allow
him to 'run through his property' faster than a railway.
The initial letter is formed by two large pythons together with a crocodile
standing on its hind legs. One of the pythons is seen curling itself around an
egg, a reference to the large number of eggs recently produced by the python at
the
Zoological Society
GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>. The article opens with a report on the introduction by
Richard Bethell (1st
Baron Westbury)Bethell, Richard, 1st Baron Westbury
(1800–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> of the Conveyancing Reform Bill into
ParliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >>, in which Punch notes
how Westbury explained himself 'in the broad fashion in which
PROFESSOR
FARADAYFaraday, Michael
(1791–1867)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> lectures the Juveniles in Albermarle Street' (i.e.
at the
Royal
InstitutionRoyal Institution of Great Britain
CloseView the register entry >>). Also considers Westbury's belief that Britain's
greatest lawyers had little knowledge of feoffment to be as unreasonable as
supposing that because Faraday told his juvenile audience that the earth is
round 'he does not know that its is flattened at the poles'. (82) Later,
responds to news that the government will 'take up' a 'Bill for suppressing the
Fraudulent Imitation of Trade-Marks' by urging it to 'be an Egg which the
Pythoness of Parliament will not Addle'. Returns to the python theme by
supporting
George Grey'sGrey, Sir George
(1799–1882)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
argument against amending the 'Cab Laws' and relating the author's observation
of the 'delicate attention' given by cabmen to their 'lady employers' who had
visited the python. (83)
Urges
Richard Bethell (1st
Baron Westbury)Bethell, Richard, 1st Baron Westbury
(1800–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to pause before pressing his bill 'To clip the wings
of Land-transfer's cost, / And disable conveyancer's skill'. Considers his
actions to be as dangerous as thrusting an 'unguarded arm / In a knot of
rattle-snakes, coiling warm'. (84)
Reports on
Robert Peel'sPeel, Sir Robert, 3rd Baronet
(1822–1895)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
criticism of the Irish politician
Daniel
O'DonaghueO'Donaghue, Daniel
(fl. 1862)
PU1/42/9/1 CloseView the register entry >> for his attack on
Queen VictoriaVictoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India
(1819–1901)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Notes that 'the species' of which O'Donaghue 'is a type cannot speak, as is
well known to the negroes and other naturalists, but can fight', but considers
the Irish politician's later 'sensible' remarks to suggest that he will one day
improve himself, 'as
MR.
DARWINDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> might say, into positive Rationality'. Later, in an
allusion to astrologers
Richard J
MorrisonMorrison, Richard James ('Zadkiel')
(1795–1874)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Robert C SmithSmith, Robert Cross ('Raphael')
(1795–1832)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
and millenarian divine
John CummingCumming, John
(1807–81)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
reports that one of 'MR. ZADKIEL-URIEL-RAPHAEL-CUMMING PUNCH'S
Prophecies' has been fulfilled, namely the introduction of a 'Bill for Amending
the Law of Lunacy', a measure following the case of
William F
WindhamWindham, William F
(1840–66)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>. The bill includes the clause that 'The doctors are not to
be sent for, except when other evidence as to facts cannot be had, and then
they are to swear as to what they know, instead of delivering highly improving
and scientific lectures on the theory of insanity'. (92)
Pollution, Sanitation, Government, Engineering, Palaeontology, Public
Health
Discusses news that
Winchester Town CouncilWinchester Town Council
CloseView the register entry >> has agreed to
resist an inquiry into the cost of sewerage for the town. Presents statements
from various aldermen of the town who testify to the health and cleanliness of
the city, and the absurdity of installing drainage. Concludes that Winchester
is a 'stronghold of anti-drainists' and 'if it does not become also the
stronghold of typhus and scarlatina, the
Board of
HealthGeneral Board of Health
CloseView the register entry >> is a big mistake'. Notes that a Winchester town councillor
would not be 'diddled into drainage' and would only agree to 'a partial
drainage [...] for convenience [...] but not on account of health', and thinks
this individual is 'a Megatherium, if that Great Beast were discoverable in the
Winchester Chalk Formation'. Concludes by noting how much this chalk would be
'enriched' by the 'treasures' that 'waste their sweetness on the Winton
air'.
Shows a man dining in a restaurant. He sees a snake emerging from an egg
before him and he exclaims to a waiter: 'Here's a Python's Egg—no
doubt about it!'. This is a reference to the large number of eggs recently
produced by the python at the
Zoological Society
GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>.
Narcotics, Hospitals, Crime, Medical Treatment, Mental Illness,
Temperance, Gender
Written in the style of a writer of limited literary ability, the author
discusses a letter to
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
about 'a Ome for the Destitute at Edinbugg' (this is possibly
St Vincent's
Home for Destitute Children, EdinburghSt Vincent's Home for Destitute Children, Edinburgh CloseView the register entry >>), and the fact that the
inmates 'is all Maniacs through their abits of inn temperance'. To support
this, an extract from the letter in The Times is quoted in which the
correspondent notes the medical consensus on the notion of ranking dypsomaniacs
(the habitually intemperate) alongside 'the sick and insane', and the
corresponding need for 'compulsory seculsion' of these often dangerous victims
of drink. Notes the correspondent's call for 'a Norsepital or lunatic Asyliam'
for these individuals and then presents his arguments for establishing an
institution for the medical treatment, 'cheerful employment', 'reformation',
and 'simple security', of the intemperate woman of the house. Concludes by
offering his own and his bibulous friend Bill Snoggins's support for the
move.
Human Species, Human Development, Animal Behaviour,
Periodicals
Written in north-eastern dialect, discusses an
AthenaeumAthenaeum
(1828–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
report of the moral and intellectual superiority of Northumbrian pitmen and
these miners' resentment towards 'Poonch' for representing them as 'nae better
than savages'. Goes on to note the Athenaeum's description of
Northumbrian miners' 'fondness' for 'timid' pets, such as canaries, a
characteristic that allegedly shows Punch to be liar.
Suggests that, were the statue of
Edward JennerJenner, Edward
(1749–1823)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> to
be removed from Trafalgar Square, then Cowes would be an ideal place for siting
the monument to the 'discoverer of vaccination'.
Shows
Emperor Napoleon
IIINapoleon III, Emperor of France (originally
Louis Napoléon (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte))
(1808–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>, 'The Medium', resting his hand on a table, around which sit
'Miss Italy',
Pope Pius IXPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>, and
other dignitaries. The medium reassures his guests that he can move 'that
elderly party [the Pope] and her chair whenever and wherever I please!'. Miss
Italy replies, 'Oh, I wish he would!'. This refers to Napoleon III's continued
involvement in Italian politics.
Reports that after boring into new red sandstone for a supply of water, the
Rugby Board
of HealthRugby Board of Health
CloseView the register entry >> struck a salt spring, but points out that the 'geology
says that they may perhaps get fresh water' if they were to dig down to the
Permian strata, which is very much deeper. Seeks to reassure the board that the
salt spring has 'strong medicinal properties' or can be used in a salt works,
and thus more than compensate them for the expense of their boring
operation.
Discusses an extract from a report in
Galignani's MessengerGalignani's Messenger
(1821–95)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> on the
research of
Dr DufosseDufosse, Dr
(fl. 1862)
PU1/42/11/3 CloseView the register entry >>, who
claimed to have discovered the ability of fish to produce sounds from their
'pneumatic bladder[s]'. Suggests that fish should, on this basis, be able to
talk and sing and to do so much better than the 'Talking Fish' attraction in
London. Noting the report of 'the speeches of some fish' in 'that highly
scientific book', the Arabian Nights, suggests that Dufosse will be able
to interpret how fishes speak, a development that will make fishing more
interesting. Goes on to speculate on the other intellectual powers of fish,
including the possibility that they might be highly competent musicians and
singers. Concludes by inviting those readers who doubt the speaking powers of
any fish, to send it to the Punch offices where 'the matter shall be
carefully discussed'. The illustration shows a fish singing, accompanied by
another fish at a piano.
Discusses a speech made in the
House of LordsHouse of Lords
CloseView the register entry >>
by
Anthony A Cooper (7th
Earl of Shaftesbury)Cooper, Anthony Ashley, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
(formerly styled 'Lord Ashley')
(1801–85)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> on the Lunacy Bill, in which the peer
illustrated the incompetence of even the 'greatest medical authorities' by
referring to one medical practitioner who judged a woman to be insane on the
basis of her conversion to Judaism. Urges Shaftesbury to remember that the
medical practitioner was 'chaffing him' and doubtless recognised that
'perfectly sane persons had subscribed money to the conversion of the
Jews'.
Following news that the planet Saturn had lost its rings (a loss which
Punch suggests may have been caused by such problems as 'financial
pressure'), announces the return of the rings, which now shine brighter than
ever. Deduces that the planet must have sent its rings to be cleaned or
temporarily discarded them in a fight with a 'refractory star'. Urges
George B AiryAiry, Sir George Biddell
(1801–92)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to
'throw a light on this misty subject'.
Questions why the medium
Charles H
FosterFoster, Charles H
(fl. 1900)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> should escape prosecution for 'pocketing his hundreds' from
spiritual séances, whereas gipsies are punished as rogues and vagabonds.
Wonders if the spirits would 'work the treadmill' for Forster, and thinks he
'deserves to have the tables turned' on him.
Distinguishes between the Commissioner on Lunacy,
Samuel WarrenWarren, Samuel
(1807–77)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
and the medium
Charles H
ForsterFoster, Charles H
(fl. 1900)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, emphasising that the former guards the property of the
insane while the latter takes it. Adds that although the commissioner 'visits
lunatics', the medium 'is visited by them'.
Discusses a report in the
AthenaeumAthenaeum
(1828–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> on
the coronet of
Empress
EugénieEugénie, Empress of France
(1826–1920)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> of France, which is 'irradiated by electric light'.
Noting that this invention requires a 'steel hoop' on which to carry the
battery, suggests that this is how it is going 'to make a man's fortune', and
describes a possible design for a battery built into a crinoline dress. Ends by
identifying
Isaac L
Pulvermacher'sPulvermacher, Isaac Lewis
(1815–84)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> 'Galvanic Chain' as another solution to the
problem.
Race, Politics, Animal Behaviour, Human Development
Following a suggestion that the Irish politician
Myles W P
O'ReillyO'Reilly, Myles William Patrick
(1825–80)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> should 'change his name' to 'represent the class he
properly belongs to', insists that he be called 'G' O'REILLY',
and later, 'GORILLA'—another Punch identification
of the Irish with apes.
Describes a 'Great Match at the Swell Westminster Pit, between
Lord
D[erby]'sStanley, Edward George Geoffrey Smith, 14th
Earl of Derby
(1799–1869)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> dog, "Chelmsford" and the "Westbury Pup"', references to
the parliamentary battle between
Frederick Thesiger
(1st Baron Chelmsford)Thesiger, Frederick, 1st Baron Chelmsford
(1794–1878)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Richard Bethell (1st
Baron Westbury)Bethell, Richard, 1st Baron Westbury
(1800–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> over the latter's Lunacy Bill. The article describes
the behaviour and physical characteristics of the dogs participating in the
contest, portraits based on the political characteristics of the statesman
after whom they are named. For example, Westbury is described as 'A
bull-terrier of extraordinary game' who 'certainly recalls the best
performances of the celebrated dog
BroughamBrougham, Henry Peter, 1st Baron Brougham and
Vaux
(1778–1868)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and is, if anything, a
quicker dog on his legs, sharper in his bite, stronger in the jaw, and
immeasurably nastier in temper'. (124)
The text of this spoof card describes the activities of the 'celebrated
transparent medium, I. M. POSTER'—a reference to the
medium
Charles H
FosterFoster, Charles H
(fl. 1900)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>. Recommends his 'practical application of the vivisection of
bleeding hearts to bereaved parties', and notes that he makes 'Spirit Hands'
from 'measurement, drawings, or casts', and that details of deceased relatives
'may be communicated' to the medium 'before or during the meeting'. Emphasises
the medium's honesty and thus points out that 'Sceptics need not take the
trouble to attend', although 'lunatics' are admitted free. Stresses that the
medium has no connection with 'Mr. HOOM-BUG' (a reference to
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) and
that the only 'Medium' through which he can be 'communicated' is 'the current
coin of the realm'.
Political Economy, Universities, Government, Politics, Commerce,
Charlatanry, Boundary Formation
Observing how little political economy is practised and understood by
governments, wonders where it exists, 'excepting in our Universities'. In light
of the nation's 'increasing expenditure [...] this scientific impostor should
in honesty throw off its libellous cognomen' and be called 'the Science of
Political Extravagance'.
Written from the perspective of a female domestic servant of limited
literary ability, who describes how her master,
George B AiryAiry, Sir George Biddell
(1801–92)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
became so outraged at the noise created by an 'Italyan orgin man' that he
promised to take him to the police. She thinks that the only reason Airy did
this was because he is 'a Stronomer or Somthink of that sort and bizzey with
Rithmetic and Mathew Matticks' and 'Mustent be disturbed'. Adds that she wants
Punch to tell her what right Airy has to stop her and her friend
enjoying their 'Musick'. In an editorial, Punch urges her to enjoy the
music 'unattended by anybody else's annoyance', and points out to her that
Airy's 'professional calculations' earn him an income which pays her wages.
Shows a spiritualistic seance at a drawing room table around which sit
several people who possess the heads of various animals associated with
credulity: geese and asses. At the top of the table sits the medium, Mr Foxer,
who has the head of a fox (an animal associated with cunning), and who tells
his guests, 'There's a spirit named Walker writing on my arm!'. Mr Foxer
represents
Charles H
FosterFoster, Charles H
(fl. 1900)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, who claimed that spirits of the dead communicated by writing
messages on his arm.
Zoology, Amusement, Government, Politics, Mental Illness, Crime,
Medical Practitioners
Notes Mr Punch's belief that the 'legislature of the country is in a state
of mild collapse', a symptom of, among other things, 'the incubation of the
Pythoness'. Goes on to report that
Richard Bethell (1st
Baron Westbury)Bethell, Richard, 1st Baron Westbury
(1800–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> successfully passed his Lunacy Bill through its
committee stage, 'defeating his beloved friend
Lord
ChelmsfordThesiger, Frederick, 1st Baron Chelmsford
(1794–1878)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, in an attempt to knock out the two years and no doctor
clause'. He also rejected the proposal of
Anthony A Cooper (7th
Earl of Shaftesbury)Cooper, Anthony Ashley, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
(formerly styled 'Lord Ashley')
(1801–85)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to deny the '"opinion" of a medical man' as
'proof of insanity'.
Responding to a newspaper report on the proposed enclosure of waste lands,
laments the possibility that this will destroy most of England's heather,
gorse, forest, swamp, and snipe-bog, and cause the 'face of the earth' to be
covered with 'smoky factories and still worse nuisances', and agricultural
produce. Criticises the fact that this will also destroy the sources of
'spiritual refreshment' and poetry. Condemns those who worship chimneys and
their stomachs as 'incipient brutes' who will 'ultimately descend nearly to a
level with the beasts [...] of the stye', and thus develop a 'countenance
resembling the Chinese'. Concludes by attacking the proposal for a 'more
numerous population' on the grounds that it 'makes the atmosphere sultry', a
condition to which polluted air and rivers contribute.
Upholds the superiority of ironclad ships over wooden ones, emphasising the
fact that they can carry 'more and heavier guns' and a larger 'invading force',
and that they can sustain longer bombardments from such weapons as
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> guns. Noting the difficulty of
penetrating ironclad ships, wonders how such ships are going to fight,
suggesting that they might do so with the highly explosive 'fulminating silver'
or 'Some new discovery in electricity'. However, Punch also suggests
that opposing ironclads might 'part in peace'.
Describes Mr Punch's response to his discovery, in 'scientific magazines',
of articles on the 'Absorbmeter' that determines the 'volumes of liquid
absorbed during successive intervals of time'. Goes on to describe how Mr
Punch, who 'naturally takes the cause of science much at heart, and taking a
deep interest in all scientific instruments', sought to test the invention.
Reports that at a 'little dinner down at Greenwich', Mr Punch found that 'the
absorbents' (his bibulous friends) absorb different alcoholic beverages at
different rates. Mr Punch urges his 'scientific friends' to invent a 'clever
apparatus' that will enable 'absorbents' to determine their capacity, and thus
prevent them from drinking too much and suffering the resulting 'bad
headaches'.
Notes how other periodicals have condemned railway companies north of the
Thames for 'resolving not to run excursion-trains in May' during the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>,
accusing them of being tyrants over 'the British people'. Ironically represents
such attacks preposterous, suggesting that the decision must be a premature
April fools' joke. Argues that railway companies will 'so largely benefit by
the Exhibition' that they 'will do their utmost to make it a success' and not
lose out on this source of profit.
Opens by noting that 'Learned writers' on mental disease claim that 'all
mankind are mad', and insists that while 'most men are ruled by reason', the
fact that so many men are persuaded to fight and die for their country and then
be forgotten, suggests that 'But for madness, scarce a martyr / To his country
would be found', and thus how fortunate it is that 'others are insane'.
Comparing the armour-plating of steamships with the 'ribs of steel' used in
women's crinoline dresses, notes that while 'steel ribs' will save HER
MAJESTY's marine from capture, wonders who would try to capture 'A
wife in crinoline'.
Describes some of the paintings that the 'zealous patron of the Arts',
John BrightBright, John
(1811–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, has
desired to see displayed at the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>.
These represent Bright's general support for America and include
representations of British ships being defeated in the American War of
Independence (a possible reference to the contemporary debate over the state of
Britain's naval fleet) and of 'some of the most useful things the world has
ever seen'—the 'American' invented printing-press, electric telegraph,
and steam-engine.
Opens by praising the strength of 'Iron-clad Jack', the 'good iron-ship'
that can sustain attacks sufficient to sink wooden frigates. Describes how he
sought to reassure his Poll that there was no need to fear his voyage as he
would be 'snug as can be' on the ironclad which is well armed and
'Shot-and-shell proof from sternpost to stem'. Goes on to note that a
blacksmith explained how the 'sheathing was such' that no shots could reach its
timber, and that however much an enemy 'pound away', 'we'll never say die'.
Responding to the government's recent decision to replace the
Royal Navy'sRoyal Navy
CloseView the register entry >> wooden
ships with ironclads, this illustration shows an inner deck of a wooden frigate
in which all the sailors are wearing suits of armour.
Nutrition, Agriculture, Machinery, Class, Political Economy, Industry,
Work
Discusses
Harriet
Martineau'sMartineau, Harriet
(1802–76)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> argument that 'STEVENS'S Bread-Making
Machinery' will economise the labour of manufacturing bread and end 'journeymen
bakers' grievances'. Thinks that the notion of eating bread made from something
that has killed 'the journeyman baker' is like 'eating the journeyman himself',
but that bread will now be eaten 'without a shudder' owing to the fact that
kneading will no longer be performed by muscular power.
Discusses an article in the
StandardStandard
(1827–60)
Evening Standard
(1860–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
reporting on a conversazione at which the possibility of a trans-Atlantic
telegraph was considered, and an article in the
ObserverObserver
(1791–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> which
describes how news is received in England from America by mail (between America
and Ireland) and telegraph (between Ireland and England). Noting that 'we can't
bridge the Atlantic with a telegraph wire', presents another extract explaining
how
Mr SilverSilver, Mr
(fl. 1862)
PU1/42/14/11 CloseView the register entry >> and his
firm propose a new network of overland and submarine telegraphs (which exploit
a new 'ebonite insulator' on the telegraph post) to expedite telegraphic
signals from Ireland. Anticipates that 'If they continue to improve our means
of wiredrawn intercourse' then 'discourse with distant countries' will not be
far off.
Noting the interest in the 'daily incubation of the Python' at the
Zoological Society
GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>, wishes to know what will become of the large number of
eggs once they have hatched. Suggests that, while pythons may please those who
have 'a fine ear for such instruments', the residents of Regent's Park will not
be able to sleep through fear of waking up with pythons around them. Urges that
these 'pretty pets' be kept safe and thus prevented from harming children and
nursery-maids in Regent's Park. Expresses concern about the dangers of further
python breeding and the 'dangerous invasion' of England by snakes. However,
expects that the Zoological Gardens will give pythons to the
Jardin
des Plantes, ParisJardin des Plantes, Paris CloseView the register entry >>, and 'similar congenial institutions', and
considers the possibility of them being sold as meat to costermongers. (150)
Concludes by urging the directors of the Zoological Gardens not to send a
python to Punch. The illustration, which forms the first word of the
text, shows a young woman encircled by a snake.
Shows a line of dejected male and female mediums clutching some of the
supposed tools of their trade, including an accordion and a 'spirit-hand' on
the end of a stick.
Military Technology, Government, Politics, War, Nationalism
Another response to the government drive to arm the
Royal NavyRoyal Navy
CloseView the register entry >> with
ironclads. Describes how Vulcan forged for Taurus (John Bull in disguise) 'a
plate / Whose strength might scorn the thunder-bolt of fate' and armour 'worthy
of the ocean-king'. Notes how Taurus departed believing that 'war was foolish
and expensive' but thought that he was right to defend 'His loved
BRITANNIA'. Describes how Taurus was then clad in 'Iron Arms'
by the 'Nereids of the deep', after which he defies anybody to approach
him.
Similar to
Anon, 'How Vulcan Gave Iron Armour to Taurus-Neptunus (from Punch's
Homer)', Punch, 42 (1862), 156, this shows Neptune (who, from a
tattoo on his arm, represents John Bull) being clad in a suit of armour by
Vulcan (who forges his armour plating) and by female cherubim (the Nereids who
crown Neptune with a steel helmet).
Exhibitions, Display, Progress, Industry, Morality, Commerce,
Work
Questions the meaning of an inscription on a stained glass window at the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>.
Agrees with the inscription that the goal of everybody's labour should be the
progress of the human race, but is not clear about the type of progress
posited. Points out that 'moral and spiritual progress' comes from
'master-minds' not labouring men, and insists that the 'final object of labour
of almost every individual' is 'his own aggrandisement', and that the
exhibition has been built on acquisitiveness.
Military Technology, War, Invention, Engineers, Steamships, Patronage,
Government, Politics, Technology, Futurism
A semi-fictional account of
William G
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, his weapons, and his relationship with the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >>. The
chronicle describes the competition between Armstrong and the Admiralty for
military strength, every invention of Armstrong being defeated by another
produced by his rival, and
William E
Gladstone'sGladstone, William Ewart
(1809–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> almost yearly increases in income tax (undoubtedly to
pay for these expensive military projects). For example, after the Admiralty
makes (in 1863) 'Platina Ships fastened with diamond cement', Armstrong invents
(in 1864) 'Brazen Thunderbolts' which sink most of the British fleet, but then
the Admiralty replies with 'Torpedo vessels' that are below the range of any
guns. The competition is interrupted briefly in 1867 by
John Cumming'sCumming, John
(1807–81)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
proclamation of the Millennium, but then continues into the 1870s with
Armstrong inventing such weapons as an 'Alp-Shell' for sinking stone ships and
a 'Balloon battering-train', and the Admiralty replying with 'an Aerial Fleet'
and a 'Subterranean Fleet'. The chronicle ends with
Emperor
Napoleon IIINapoleon III, Emperor of France (originally
Louis Napoléon (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte))
(1808–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of France successfully proclaiming the Millennium and
Armstrong (now knighted 'Lord BOMB') inventing 'Volcano
Fireworks' and accidently 'burn[ing] up the Public' (and thus his patrons).
Recalls the 'days when we wore straps', when 'Most of all our rising men /
Puling in their nurses' laps', 'Railways were a wonder new' and 'Telegraphic
wires were not', and instead there were slow stage-coaches and news deliveries.
Adds that this was a time when india-rubber was expensive and gutta-percha
unknown, and 'Science had not yet to bear / Brought the Sun's pictorial rays'.
Neither were 'Spirits, under tables heard', which then would have 'been thought
too absurd'.
Written from the perspective of the female python at the
Zoological Society
GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>, who condemns the 'British public' for causing her eggs to
rot and for keeping only one of the eggs which has produced an abnormally small
snake. Inveighs against
Philip L
SclaterSclater, Philip Lutley
(1829–1913)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> for confining her in a coil, and emphasises the python's
'sensibilities' and 'horror of intrusion' by scientific practitioners. She goes
on to observe that all a 'snake-mother' wants are the warm conditions under
which her eggs can develop; instead she was prodded and poked, and had her
peace and comfort rudely disturbed by a fellow trying to measure her
temperature with his 'ZAMBRA and NEGRETTI'
(the thermometer-making firm of
Joseph W
ZambraZambra, Joseph Warren
(1822–97)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> and
Enrico A L
NegrettiNegretti, Enrico Angelo Ludovico (Henry)
(1818–79)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) or by
Richard OwenOwen, Richard
(1804–92)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>.
Concludes that 'those soi-distant men of science, / On time and kindly
nature are too clever for reliance' and in their 'anxiety' have plucked her
eggs too soon. She goes on to ask the scientists to consider her
feelings—notably, the thrill that spread through her like 'the electric
fire' when she felt 'the stirrings blend'—but notes that scientific men
are unlikely to credit her with feelings.
Punch, 42 (1862), 162.
Difference Betwixt (Sea) Chips of an Old (Land) Block by Land and
Sea
Commerce, Military Technology, Steamships, Engineering, Nationalism,
Internationalism
Written from the perspective of the British nation, complains of the cost of
reconstructing the
Royal Navy'sRoyal Navy
CloseView the register entry >> ships to
operate by steam, and of then reconstructing them again with 'iron wood'.
Observes that the expense thwarts Britain's desire to 'rebuild London'.
Questions why foreign nations execrate Britain's name, when it meditates 'no
base invasion'.
Upholds the sublime and superior beauty of the photograph of Charlotte, and,
noting the transience of her image in a mirror to that produced in a
photograph, ends by observing that the photograph 'Will truly show you what you
were; / How elegant, how fresh and fair'.
Military Technology, Steamships, War, Technology, Progress,
Government, Cultural Geography
Implicitly responding to the government's recent proposals to replace the
wooden ships of the
Royal NavyRoyal Navy
CloseView the register entry >> with
ironclad vessels, he bids his farewell to his 'trim three-decker' on the
grounds that 'Iron's proved of wood a wrecker'. Compares what sailors were in
the days of
Horatio NelsonNelson, Horatio, Viscount Nelson
(1758–1805)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
to the present, when they are 'half soldiers and half stokers', and laments the
passing of the days of 'Good seamanship' and knowledge of sails. Describes the
latest ships as 'floating forts with iron cased' and equipped with
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> guns. Following 'them Yankee
swabs' who fought under water, anticipates that the Navy will soon become 'a
fleet of diving bells'.
Exhibitions, Commerce, Technology, Military Technology,
Railways
Reports that opposite the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>,
which opened on 1 May 1862, 'certain enterprising persons' have established an
'International Bazaar'. The narrator intends to purchase there such items as an
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> gun, a railway locomotive, and
'a Shoeburyness target'.
Considers some of the effects on sailors' lives resulting from the
introduction of ironclad vessels into the
Royal NavyRoyal Navy
CloseView the register entry >>. Believes
that the appearance of these mastless vessels will end seamanship and
substitute stoking the fire hole for sailors' concern with sails. Adds that new
forms of punishment will be introduced including dangling seamen in the
funnel.
Military Technology, Steamships, Natural History, Zoology, Language,
War
Argues that the reconstruction of the
Royal NavyRoyal Navy
CloseView the register entry >> with
ironclads will require changes to the names of vessels. Given that ships will
now resemble 'a pachydermatous or a crustaceous animal', suggests that ships of
the line might be called 'Rhinoceros', 'Elephant', or
'Whale', a 'steam-ram' might be called 'Narwhal', and that
smaller vessels might be christened 'Porpoise' and 'Crab'.
Concludes by suggesting that ironclads might also be named after emblems of
peace, such as 'Dove'.
Exhibitions, Military Technology, War, Internationalism
Shows a mournful-looking winged female figure who, carrying an olive branch
in one hand, sits on a large
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> gun. The caption reveals that
this is Mr Punch's 'design for a colossal statute, which ought to have been
placed in the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>'.
Exhibitions, Technology, Military Technology, Internationalism,
War
Describes the opening of the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>, with
special reference to the crowds outside the building, the 'Clearing of the
Nave' of the building, the 'Procession' of dignitaries, and exhibition
commissioners, jurors, and other protagonists including the exhibition's
architects
Francis FowkeFowke, Francis
(1823–65)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Henry ColeCole, Sir Henry
(1808–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. The final
stanza describes the 'Unexpected Appearance' at the exhibition—namely,
the allegorical figure of Peace, sitting on an
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> gun. She looks sad and laments
the fact that the gun should be her 'vehicle'. She also laments that in the
decade since the opening of the
Great
ExhibitionGreat Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations (1851)
CloseView the register entry >> her cause has been shattered in Europe, since 'huge
steam-hammers rise and fall, / To forge the great ship's armour-wall' and other
armaments threaten her. She ends by resolving to stay at home.
Includes warnings that the public is not to 'go staring at things merely
because they are pretty, or celebrated', but to 'go regularly and reverentially
through the whole building, and is specially to make itself master of every
part of the Machinery Exhibition before venturing to examine the products of
the machinery'. The rules also stipulate that anybody who 'makes a remark upon
the difference between the building of 1851 [the
Crystal
PalaceCrystal Palace
CloseView the register entry >>] and the present one, and does not distinctly declare the
latter to be immeasurably the superior', will be removed by the police, who
will also enforce the idea that the exhibition is 'a grand success'.
Discusses an advertisement in a 'Morning Paper', issued by the
British College of HealthBritish College of Health
CloseView the register entry >> on behalf
of the
Society of
HygeistsSociety of Hygeists
CloseView the register entry >>, which quotes what it claims was
William
Shakespeare'sShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> anticipation of the 'Hygeian system of
JAMES
MORISONMorison, James
(1770–1840)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>'. Draws attention to the advertisement's surprising
claim that the poison used by the ghost of Hamlet's father (hebenon or henbane)
was used in Morison's 'Universal Vegetable Pills'. Points out that if the
advertisers mean to identify Morison's pills with poison then they are to be
praised for 'great candour' and for giving the public grounds to exercise
caution before using this treatment.
Questions the propriety of calling the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >> a
'World Fair' on the grounds that it has no 'wild beasts in it', 'menagerie', or
other amusements found in circuses.
Exhibitions, Military Technology, Human Development, Animal Behaviour,
Crime, Technology
Endorses the display of weapons at the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>
because they 'remind us how very much lower we are than angels' and how close
we are to 'some foreigners who are very little above fiends'. Questions why the
exhibition only displays machines for inflicting harm on enemies, and not on
'ourselves under necessity of self-defence'—for example, 'the crank',
'treadmill', and the gallows.
Medical Treatment, Medical Practitioners, Education,
Psychology
Discusses the case of a man who took legal action against a chemist for
prescribing inappropriate medicine, but who adopted the surprising course of
going to the chemist on the advice of a beadle, a course of action which it is
suggested shows 'hopeless feebleness of mind'.
Shows Mr Bull handing Mrs Britannia a model of the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>, a
gesture which she greets by saying, 'I can't think it quite so pretty as the
one you gave me eleven years ago' (i.e. the
Crystal
PalaceCrystal Palace
CloseView the register entry >>). Mr Bull replies, 'p'raps not, dear madam—but you
should see inside!'
Exhibitions, Industry, Machinery, Skill, Agriculture, Work
Describes a meeting between 'Strong Queen Handicraft' and 'Fair Queen Art'
at midnight in the silence of the 'monster Building' of the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>. They
discuss each other's contributions to the products on display. Art insists that
Handicraft owns the 'profusion / Of the fruits of toil, / Loom and forge-work,
clay and crystal', the 'Growth of seed and soil' and the 'spinning of
men-spiders, / Honey of men's hives'. Handicraft, clad in a 'Coal-black' robe,
a crown of fire, and wielding a hammer as a sceptre, informs Art that it is she
who gives beauty to her roughly shaped masses. Art adds that in 'this age of
iron' she is 'Chain'd to thy "behest"'. The queens each continue to give
reasons why the other should sit on the 'throne', with Art finally deciding to
reign apart in her own gallery.
Written to represent the style of a yokel, who describes a local concert
given by songbirds and relishes news that the
Acclimatisation SocietyAcclimatisation Society, New South Wales CloseView the register entry >> has
successfully imported such species into New Zealand. Goes on to explain his use
of magpies as deterrents against grubs, and he condemns news (seen in the
Stamford
MercuryStamford Mercury
(1713–83)
Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury
(1784–1900+)
British Library Newspaper Catalogue CloseView the register entry >>) of 'young labourers and itinerants' who made their
living from killing the small birds that destroy insects. Claims that 'Tis all
along o-bein unbelievin Jews; there is no baitun into their heads that small
birds baint varmant'. Wishes Punch would get one of its 'young men' to
'gie my nabers a lectur or two on natural histry' to stop this 'dickycide'.
Military Technology, Steamships, Steam-power, Status
The initial letter of the text is formed from a droll representation of the
Royal Navy'sRoyal Navy
CloseView the register entry >> new
ironclad vessels: a domestic iron floating on water with a gun poking out of
its stern. The text ponders the fate of sailors 'Now that floating iron
shot-towers are to constitute our fleet'. Considers employing sailors on board
'flat-irons' a 'waste of wages' and an 'insult', not least because they resent
steam-powered ships. Notes that while the Navy combined steam-engines with
masts and sails, the new fleet will now be 'floating forts'. Imagines the
disgust felt by a sailor of the 'old school' on being asked to serve in an
ironclad and expects that some of the unemployed sailors will become
'bus-conductors'.
Includes the speculation that a 'Shin-Plaster' is a 'specific invented in
the first instance by a weak government that was on its last legs, and was
obliged to resort to this quack remedy' to maintain 'anything like a footing in
the money-market'.
Military Technology, Experiment, Commerce, Progress, War, Invention,
Technology, Aeronautics
Reflecting on the expensive battle between gun makers and shipbuilders for
the strongest military invention, calls for the creation of 'an Island of
Laptua' to save on costly 'ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> guns and Shoeburyness
experiments'. Anticipates that the battle will result in the construction of a
conical shot as large as the 'Big Pyramid' in Egypt. Believes the invention of
a 'Flying Island' would end the battle for technological supremacy because
instead of fighting with an army and a navy, the inhabitants of the island
would simply need to drop material on their enemies. Goes on to suggest the
need for 'an invention to annihilate an army at a [single] blow', which would
be an unprecedented peace maker, while the knowledge that Britain had a 'Flying
Island' would help prevent her being attacked.
Notes how the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >> has
gained fame for its 'Want of order and arrangement' and notoriety for the 'bulk
and weight of the catalogue which the visitor is [...] obliged to lug
around'.
Rejoices in the establishment in London of the new 'Manchester and Glasgow'
kind of omnibuses—vehicles noted for being 'kind, spacious, clean,
comfortable', and drawn by three instead of two horses. Notes Mr Punch's
recommendation of the new vehicles to crinoline-clad women, and his hopes that
'great numbers of the new omnibuses will be launched', thus driving to
distraction the 'atrocious things which at present infest London' (i.e. the
city's existing omnibuses). The illustrations give two different views of the
inside of the luxurious new omnibuses.
Likens the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >> to 'a
view of the Universe through the small end of the telescope', notably what the
world would look like if it were improved by 'clearing out the Nave' and the
'rubbish' of 'Foreign Courts'.
A response to the establishment under
Edward G G S
Stanley (14th Earl of Derby)Stanley, Edward George Geoffrey Smith, 14th
Earl of Derby
(1799–1869)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> of a
House of LordsHouse of Lords
CloseView the register entry >>Select Committee on
Injury from Noxious VapoursSelect Committee on Injury from Noxious Vapours
CloseView the register entry >>. Complains of the 'foul smoke' with
which 'factory chimneys' taint 'Nature's fair face'. Proceeds to lament the
pollution of streams and 'pleasant' rivers by 'the refuse of "Works"', the
poisoning of fish and the fleeing of the spirit of 'old
Isaac WaltonWalton, Izaak
(1593–1683)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>', and
the diffusion of the 'breath of chemical corrosion' from 'vast chemical
workshops'. Concludes by insisting that 'If the struggle for life, our
engrossing employ' is destroyed by 'All that makes life worth living', science
should save some 'verdure and flowers' for the short remaining time.
Addressed to the editor of the Catholic
TabletTablet
(1840–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>, discusses a
report in the
SiècleSiècle, Le
(1836–1900+)
COPAC CloseView the register entry >> of the alleged
liquefaction of the blood of
St JanuariusJanuarius, Saint (or San Gennaro)
(d. c. 305)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
after
King Victor Emanuel
IIVictor Emanuel II, King of Italy
(1820–78)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of Italy had presented an expensive diamond cross to the saint.
Puzzled by the incident, given
Pope Pius IX'sPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
excommunication of the monarch, but asks rhetorically if the blood 'always
liquefies under conditions which are indicated by a certain figure to which
they would raise the column of mercury in a thermometer', conditions which
might be achieved by accepting 'a given quantity of carbon, in the extremely
pure form of a diamond cross equivalent to a mass of silver tantamount to
1000,000 fr.'.
A discussion of the response of the
HygeistHygeist
(1842–67)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> (an organ
of
James MorisonMorison, James
(1770–1840)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) to
Punch's attack on an advertisement identifying
William
Shakespeare'sShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> anticipation of Morison's 'Vegetable Pills' (see
Anon, 'The Toxicology of Shakespeare', Punch, 42 (1862), 182). Punch retorts that it is
not for it to deny that the pill 'assimulates with' (from the Hygeist's
adaptation of a passage in Shakespeare's Hamlet) or 'counterfeits,
something or other in connection with the blood of man'. Agreeing that there
may be a correspondence between Shakespeare's words and the description of the
pills quotes the playwright's warning that 'the devil can quote Scripture for
his purpose', which corresponds to the quack borrowing from Shakespeare.
Following the success of
Palgrave 1862Palgrave, Francis
Turner 1862. Handbook to the Fine Art Collections in the
International Exhibition of 1862, London: Macmillan and Co.
CloseView the register entry >>, announces
the publication of a spoof companion volume, a Handbook to the Industrial
Department. Notes the difficulties encountered by the exhibition
commissioners in finding judges who can be as harsh on exhibits as those in the
fine art department. However, proceeds to describe some of the judges who, as
it is later ironically pointed out, have been appointed because they have the
'most unbiassed and best-informed opinion on the various classes of the
Exhibition, accompanied by that healthy and high-minded criticism, which will
at once serve as a lesson to exhibitors'. The judges include 'an ex-analyst of
the
LancetLancet
(1823–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>' to judge
the 'Substances used in Food',
William G
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Joseph
WhitworthWhitworth, Sir Joseph, 1st Baronet
(1803–87)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to judge each other's inventions in gunnery, and a
MorisonMorison, James
(1770–1840)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> pill
vendor to judge 'Pharmaceutical Substances and processes'. Goes on to present a
specimen of the judges' comments on nautical inventions, foodstuffs, candles,
and soaps. These are either ecstatically praiseworthy or downright hostile. For
example, the
Admiralty'sAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >> exhibit of
'Sixteen models representing the progress of Naval Architecture from the
first ship of the Royal Navy, 1499, to the present time', is attacked as
representing the 'crass stupidity and brutal indifference to the suggestions of
inventors which has always marked the Admiralty' and as showing the superiority
of the naval architecture of 1488 to that of the present day, which shows
'human baseness', and the 'ignorance of the principles of flotation,
equilibrium, and hydrostatic force'. In contrast, the 'Model of
S. DE C. F.'s Unsinkable Ship, submitted by the Inventor
without effect to successive Board of Admiralty, from 1820 to 1862' prompts
such praiseworthy comments as 'the inventor [...] has shown the profoundest
knowledge of the great and officially unknown laws which govern floating
bodies' and 'Mark the thoughtful humanity of the apparatus for instantly
annihilating the enemy'. (209)
Responding to news of the large number of bishops and cardinals in Rome,
plays on the double-entendre of the word canon, suggesting that 120 'great guns
of the Church' are necessary for the 'canonisation of martyrs', a procedure of
the 'ecclesiastical artillery' which it considers as expensive as 'a cannonade
ought to be, even though the ordnance should consist of the biggest
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> guns'.
Exhibitions, Light, Amusement, Military Technology,
Steamships
Describes his experiences of a 'five shilling-day' at the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>.
Likens the view down the great nave of the exhibition building to a
'Brobdingnag kaleidoscope out of order'. Describes the trophies made from guns,
groceries, and toys, noting that the toy trophy contains 'dolls that wink or
squeak under certain mechanical influence, known only to the proprietors'.
Dwells on the 'military engineering department' whose exhibits include
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> guns, samples of gun-metal, and
ammunition carts, and a 'model of an iron-cased steam-ram ship', which is
highly manoeuvrable and powerful.
Noting that while
Anthony
PanizziPanizzi, Sir Anthony
(1797–1879)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> has not been able to remove the beasts from the
British
MuseumBritish Museum
CloseView the register entry >> (a measure included in the government's recently defeated
British Museum Bill), he has ordered boys to leave the museum and stop
'lounging on the Museum chairs for which a
DARWINDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, a
BUCKLEBuckle, Henry Thomas
(1821–62)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, a
FARADAYFaraday, Michael
(1791–1867)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, a
MAURICEMaurice, John Frederick Denison
(1805–72)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> or a
PUNCH may be waiting'. Advises Panizzi to 'clear away a whole
heap of people' who have no business in the library because, according to Mr
Punch's survey, they only read relatively inexpensive books that are readily
available elsewhere. (220) His survey reveals that these works include
Timbs 1857Timbs, John 1857.
Things Not Generally Known: Curiosities of History with New Lights; a Book
for Old and Young, London: David Bogue
CloseView the register entry >>, volumes of the
Mirror of
LiteratureMirror of Literature, Amusement, and
Instruction
(1822–47)
Mirror Monthly Magazine
(1847–49)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >>,
La
Belle AssembléeBelle Assemblée, La
(1806–32)
Court Magazine
(1832–48)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>,
Livingstone 1857Livingstone,
David 1857. Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa:
Including a Sketch of Sixteen Years' Residence in the Interior of Africa, and a
Journey from the Cape of Good Hope to Loanda, on the West Coast; Thence Across
the Continent, Down the River Zambesi, to the Eastern Ocean, London: John
Murray
CloseView the register entry >>,
and
Burton 1621[Burton,
Robert] 1621. The Anatomy of Melancholy: What it is. With all the
Kindes, Causes, Symptomes, Prognostickes, and Severall Cures of it. In Three
Maine Partitions with their Severall Sections, Members, and Subsections.
Philosophically, Medicinally, Historically, Opened and Cut up. By Democritus
Junior. With a Satyricall Preface, Conducing to the Following Discourse,
Oxford: H. Cripps
CloseView the register entry >>. Mr Punch
concludes that these readers, 'for whose sake the world is ransacked year by
year to bring literary treasures together', should read at home (221).
Cultural Geography, Race, Gender, Exhibitions, Human Development,
Animal Behaviour, Military Technology
This article contains the impressions of a 'Japanese Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary' on his tour of Britain, which include
observations on the 'hideous red and white' complexions, the 'invariably white'
teeth, and 'long hair' of British men. He goes on to note that his visit to the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>
showed that British women were 'even uglier than men' and 'cruelly treated':
for example, they are not allowed to 'pluck out their eyebrows' and are 'forced
to wear, cover the whole person, and are distended to an enormous extent by
hoops of steel'. Wonders whether women are 'ever out of their cages' and notes
the strange eating habits of the British. However, considers the 'barbarians of
Great Britain' to be 'gentle, tractable, and willing to learn', and describes
the British preoccupation with constructing 'implements of destruction'.
Punch, 42 (1862), 229.
Punch Counselleth King Cole Touching the International Exhibition
Praising
Henry ColeCole, Sir Henry
(1808–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, the
Secretary of the
Department of Science and ArtDepartment of Science and Art
CloseView the register entry >>,
as a 'potent soul' who has 'spread
FOWKE'SFowke, Francis
(1823–65)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> design' and stretched
his 'royal sway' from 'Boilers to Dish-covers', urges Cole to consider
Punch's criticisms of the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>.
Considers the need to clear the exhibition of its artefacts and wonders who
will bear the cost of 'clearing this rubbish away'—the 'Commission who
bade this Trade to build, or the Trade who but built as bid'. Goes on to the
'matter of Toll', specifically the high cost of the 'flimsy' exhibition
catalogue and unsatisfactory refreshments, and warns Cole that 'this grabbing
at fees, from tradespeople and contractors, / Is what Punch has lashed
play-managers for, and other vulgar extractors'. Informs him that if 'printers,
purveyors, and all that tribe, must tip the Commission a fee' then he should
'drop a hint to
Charles W
Dilke'Dilke, Charles Wentworth
(1789–1864)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, one of the commissioners for the exhibition.
Religion, Religious Authority, Unbelief, Philosophy
Questions whether
Roden B W Noel'sNoel, Roden Berkeley Wriothesley
(1834–94)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
claim that the French are 'given over' to 'philosophical Pantheism' will not be
understood by his
Exeter HallExeter Hall, Strand CloseView the register entry >>
audience, insisting that 'Pantheism may, in a great many cases, be the habit of
mind that is averse to appealing to first causes and using solemn names upon
all occasions'. Considers Noel unphilosophical for condemning a 'nation that
got so far as to laugh at priestcraft'.
Urges that the
Journal of the Horticultural
Society of LondonJournal of the Horticultural Society of London
(1846–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> publish an article warning the 'country
bumpkins that can read' not to 'set a price upon the heads of sparrows and
other small birds, and [not to] poison the pretty warbling squire'. Questions
why squires and conservative landowners have not protested against 'the
destructive policy thus pursued by clay-brained agriculturists'. Addressing
himself to 'farmers and gardeners', the author stresses that the destruction of
small birds allows pests to proliferate and thus ruin crops, and the fact that
in France the government has banned the barbarous practice because it caused a
'plague of insects'. Goes on to debunk the notion that birds eat fruit and
grain and points out that these animals have actually been introduced into
Britain for 'consuming' thistle.
Further observations on the habits of the 'English Barbarians' by the
'Japanese Envoy Extraordinary, to the Head Daimio of the Department for
Correspondence touching the Barbarians'.
Animal Behaviour, Religious Authority, Prognostication
The initial letter is formed by an illustration showing a mouse trying to
decapitate a cat by using the vertically sliding door of a small construction
as a guillotine. Describing the complex way in which a cat walks towards
somebody who calls it, the text likens it to the tortuous trajectory of a legal
case concerning the property of a follower of
Joanna
SouthcottSouthcott, Joanna
(1750–1814)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, which was to be used to publish the writings of the
'unreal prophetess'.
Written from the perspective of a naval officer, who urges his lads to
'cheer up' because their ship has strong armour. The chorus zealously describes
the iron hulls and guns of the ship with which the sailors will 'conquer again
and again'. Subsequent verses note the passing of the days of sail, the safety
and formidable strength of iron-hulled ships, and the fire-power of the 'four
guns' mounted on the ships.
Animal Behaviour, Human Species, Gender, Cruelty, Crime
Shows an omnibus driver helping a stout woman onto his vehicle. He tells his
friend to 'Make them two full-growes uns sit forrard. I don't want to get a
Month for Cru'lty to Animals'.
Military Technology, Cultural Geography, Nationalism
The text insists that despite the claim of the 'Yankees' to be 'the Fastest
nation in all creation, they still lag five hours behind slow old England'. The
illustration shows a man riding a shell fired from a cannon in a British fort,
the caption explaining that the figure is 'Merely going to inquire about the
Seizure of the British Steam-ship "Bermuda"Bermuda, ship CloseView the register entry >> by the Yankee Frigate
"Mercedita"Mercedita, ship CloseView the register entry >>'.
Class, Human Development, Education, Race, Human Species,
Religion
Prompted by a recent sitting of the
Social
Science CongressSocial Science Congress
CloseView the register entry >>, presents his suggestion for 'ameliorating the
behaviour of the industrious classes'. He urges that 'some of us fellows should
go among them as missionaries' and improve their speech, spelling, and manners.
(246) Details how he would conduct this mission while accompanying the
'industrious classes' to the sea-side. Concludes by stressing that 'we ought
all to love our species, and the People are our species; although they seem a
different race', and that the reason a 'fellow' seeks to 'improve the Million'
is because he finds the 'idea that they are a fellow's fellow men [...] so
deuced humiliating'.
The intial letter is part of an illustration showing two women, 'one an
emaciated and craggy reflection of the other', who are divided by a large plant
apparently in the plane of a mirror. The text calls for the removal of the
'hideous tents, that selfishly block the view of the
Horticultural
GardensRoyal Horticultural Society—Gardens, Chiswick CloseView the register entry >> from the windows of the
ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >> refreshment rooms'.
Wishes the fellows of the
Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural Society
CloseView the register entry >> would
organize the tents in order to convey the 'graceful and sweet' lessons taught
by flowers, and criticizes the exhibition directors for erecting the tents
whilst drunk.
Responding to the decision to appoint a second coroner, discusses whether
doctors or lawyers make better coroners. Noting that 'the duty of the coroner
is to ascertain the causes of death', argues that doctors, who have the
'reputation' of helping to 'shorten a patient's life', and who are 'more likely
to know the cause of death', will make better coroners. Concludes by announcing
Mr Punch's preference for
Edwin
LankesterLankester, Edwin
(1814–74)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> as coroner.
Presents Mr Punch's reasons why he should be considered for the vacant
'Office of Coroner'. These include knowing 'nothing about Medicine' and being
'utterly ignorant of the rules of evidence'.