The illustration shows Mr Punch waving goodbye to
HMS
ChallengerHMS Challenger CloseView the register entry >>. The text describes a conversation between Mr
Punch and 'the Expedition'.
Discusses an article in a 'Transatlantic newspaper' for a 'Patent Cat
Exterminator' which consists of a clockwork-driven cast-iron cat that attracts
and kills real cats. The author is dismayed by the prospect of cast-iron cats
prowling on housetops and caterwauling all night.
Medical Practitioners, Physiology, Heroism, Patronage
Noting the approaching tercentenary of William Harvey's birth, discusses the
proposal by the people of Folkstone (where Harvey was born) to erect a statue
of the 'great Physician'. Applauds the scheme and presents the address to which
donations should be sent for building the statue.
Astronomy, Religious Authority, Politics, Imperialism,
Superstition
Notes that
Pope Pius IXPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> urged
his audience to pray that 'the stone will fall' and 'overthrow that Colossus'.
Punch thinks the Pope meant to pray that 'an aerolite [...] may the
German Empire smite'. Notes that the 'Pope's Bull [...] Is against a Comet
unerring' and so 'an Asteroid 't will compel / To pound you dead as a herring'.
Warns
Prince Otto E L
von BismarckBismarck, Prince Otto Edward Leopold von, Duke of Lauenburg
(1815–98)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> about the appearance of shooting stars and meteors.
A list of several recently registered companies with details of their
starting capital, including 'Mid-World Railway', 'Great Desert Fertilisation',
and 'Himalayan Tramways'.
Contends that the most promising way to cultivate artistic genius and
increase the number of good pictures at the
Royal
AcademyRoyal Academy of Arts
CloseView the register entry >> is to subject artists, like scientists, to written
examinations. Proposes to examine candidates on several technical aspects of
their work including the chemistry, specific gravity, and biological provenance
of paints, and the botanical, geological, and natural historical aspects of
animal and landscape painting. Thinks artists should also master geometry and
optics to help them with perspective, and should learn anatomy and physiology
to improve their depictions of the human form. Recognises that 'no artist [...]
could possibly make himself master of all the sciences' and reflects on the
deficiencies of cramming.
Depicts Mr Punch's suggestion to the
Royal Academy
of ArtsRoyal Academy of Arts
CloseView the register entry >> for a device to enable critics to 'study every picture,
from the highest to the lowest, with equal comfort': it consists of a seat that
can be raised, by a gear mechanism, up a wooden tower.
A list of 'taxes' levied in polite society. These include 'Being asked to
take down LADY HUMGRIFFYN to dinner, instead
of pretty little MRS. PRATTLETON, because you
happen to know something of the Troglodytes, or the Dolomites, or the
Zoophytes, or something which happens to be her Ladyship's pet theme for
conversation'.
Botanical Gardens, Botany, Expertise, Government, Class
'Noble Savage' is a satirical depiction of the First Commissioner of Works,
Acton S AyrtonAyrton, Acton Smee
(1816–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
He denies being a market gardener, having any knowledge of botany, or having
any breeding, yet proclaims himself 'King of Kew'. He adds that he occupies 'an
office of inferiority', but is superior to the Director of the
Royal Botanical Gardens,
KewRoyal Botanical Gardens, Kew CloseView the register entry >>,
Joseph D
HookerHooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
(1817–1911)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. Ayrton recognises Hooker's botanical expertise, but aserts
that either Hooker will have to resign or he will. Notes that when he and
Hooker, a 'scientific gentlemen' who 'expects to have his way', disagree about
'a plan / As it ever has been since the world began', Hooker must obey him.
Admits that he is no 'respecter of gentlemen / Nor of scientific swells', and
urges people to talk to the bear in the
Zoological Society GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>
about courtesy. Admits that he lacks Ædile's taste, but defies the
reader's indignation in wanting Hooker to be dismissed.
Astronomy, Heat, Meteorology, Controversy, Government, Politics,
Pollution, Public Health, Mining
Notes that while the sun is 'in his present excited state' and is emitting
'quadrillions of tons of whatever it is that he makes us hot with', a wise man
will be brief. Adds that 'heat expands some things (as the dear little girl
knew, who explained that the days were long in hot weather on that account),
but does not expand paragraphs'. Also notes that
Edward H Stanley (15th
Earl of Derby)Stanley, Edward Henry, 15th Earl of Derby
(formerly styled 'Lord Stanley')
(1826–93)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> called attention to
Acton S Ayrton'sAyrton, Acton Smee
(1816–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
'behaviour' towards
Joseph D
HookerHooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
(1817–1911)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. Thinks that Derby is 'the man to right the wrongs of "the
judicious HOOKER"'. Also notes the complaint by the Archbishop
of Canterbury,
Archibald C
TaitTait, Archibald Campbell
(1811–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, concerning the 'abominable nuisance of the Lambeth Potteries'
Smoke',
Benjamin
Disraeli'sDisraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
(1804–81)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> discussion of the 'Public Health Bill', and the debates
on the bills for coal mines and Irish railways. (34)
With a title taken from
Francis
QuarlesQuarles, Francis
(1592–1644)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, Mr Punch informs the 'British Farmer' that in his recent
article on manures (Anon, 'Chemistry for Countrymen', Punch, 62 (1872), 255), he did not
intend to claim that everything called 'Phospho-Guano' was worthless. Appeals
to
Justus von
Liebig'sLiebig, Justus von
(1803–73)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> favourable views on the substance. Advises the British
Farmer to 'doctor his land' with these 'medicaments'. Adds that
Mr LittleLittle, Mr
(fl.1871)
PU1/62/25/2 CloseView the register entry >>, on
whose views he based his article, 'disclaims any idea of confounding a worthy
manufacture with a quack compound'.
Possessing the accent of an English cad, the author describes how the
'Nobillaty and Gentery' have two gun clubs, and shoot pigeons at Wormwood
Scrubs and at Hurlingham Park. Callously insists that 'The Pidgeons ain't of No
Account / If their Leggs and Wings is broke' and points out that since
dog-fighting and badger-baiting are illegal, pigeons are 'Priviledged Creeters
in the Site / Of the Blessèd British Lawr'.
A series of news reports, one of which claims that 'A new system of
ventilation has been invented for the use of some of our theatres. Two or three
stupid plays, and nothing attractive in artistes, and the house, will be
quite empty and charmingly cool'.
Subtitled 'A Tale of Wonder and Enchantment', the illustration shows French
head of state,
Adolphe ThiersThiers, Louis Adolphe (Adolphe)
(1797–1897)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>,
as an alchemist, dressed in a black cape covered with alchemical symbols. He
stirs a black cauldron, on which are inscribed the words 'Credit' and
'Confidence', and out of which flows a stream bearing the words
'£120,000,000 Loan'. He is flanked by a princess and a witch-like figure
who wears a hat bearing the word 'communism'.
Discusses a report in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> of a boa-constrictor
that 'moped, slept, and refused to be comforted' after its owners departed, but
excitedly greeted them on their return. Suggests that future issues of the
The Times might include advertisements for lost snakes, and that these
animals might fulfil the role of dogs, as they could be burglar deterrents and
companions.
Narcotics, Medical Treatment, Gender, Medical Practitioners, Religious
Authority, Religion
The illustration shows a doctor conversing with Mrs McCawdle, whose husband
can be seen lying ill in bed. The doctor warns Mrs McCawdle to stop giving her
husband medicine, adding that 'A sound sleep will do him more good than
anything'. Mrs McCawdle agrees but wishes they 'could only get him taw the
kirk!!'—a reference to the tedium of sermons.
Discusses news that 'extensive plans are now in progress' to utilise the
sewage of
Windsor
CastleWindsor Castle
CloseView the register entry >> and Frogmore House. Considers that this will provide water
without the harmful 'additions'. Thinks the water from Windsor Castle will be
'an example to many towns' which could 'utilise' the sewage with which they
'infect' rivers.
Ornithology, Hunting, Cruelty, Politics, Government
Comprises the utterances of various species of birds which complain about
being excluded from the wildfowl bill and thus not protected from
game-hunters.
Shows a young 'son and heir', just home from school, 'surrounded by his
adoring womankind'—his mother, sisters, and nurse. They all hold objects
indicating that they are preparing for the summer holidays: the mother, for
instance, holds a butterfly net, and one older sister holds a toy yacht. The
boy, whose enjoyment of his holidays appears to have been spoiled by a
toothache, exclaims that it 'just wouldn't the holidays be jolly, if it
wasn't for the dentist'.
Discusses recent government orders relative to the Contagious Diseases
(Animals) Act, specifically as regards the slaughter of infected livestock.
Thinks animals would call such acts the 'C. D. Acts' and that those animals
hostile to the legislation would call them 'Contagious Dissenter Acts'.
Reports that Mrs Malaprop is collecting butterflies to understand the theory
of 'caterpillary attraction'. Notes that she has been reading
Alfred R
Wallace'sWallace, Alfred Russel
(1823–1913)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>Malay ArchipelagoWallace, Alfred
Russel 1869. The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan
and the Bird of Paradise; a Narrative of Travel, with Studies of Man and
Nature, &c., 2 vols, London: Macmillan
CloseView the register entry >>,
which she calls the 'Himmalayan Archipelago'.
Nomenclature, Gas Chemistry, Disease, Scientific Practitioners,
Religious Authority, History of Science
Observes that in the days of
Humphrey
DittonDitton, Humphrey
(1675–1714)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
William
WhistonWhiston, William
(1667–1752)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, 'hypothetical chemistry' spoke of 'phlogiston', and fevers
and tumours 'were set down to "humours"'. Adds that science had other words
whose senses have been 'divested' by 'researches exact', and that 'the Sages of
Nature have had their ontology / To revise'. Concludes by pointing out that the
'old Schoolmen's expressions of "Substance" and "Person"' were once imposed
upon mankind but now 'contain no idea for kernel'.
Reports on further parliamentary debate over the controversy between the
First Commissioner of Works,
Acton S AyrtonAyrton, Acton Smee
(1816–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
and
Joseph D
HookerHooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
(1817–1911)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. Provides
John Lubbock'sLubbock, Sir John, 4th Baronet and 1st Baron
Avebury
(1834–1913)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> case
against Ayrton.
Ralph Bernal
OsborneBernal Osborne, Ralph
(1808?–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> is reported to have said that Ayrton was 'audacious, and
also orchidaceous' regarding Hooker, but that he wants them to 'make it up'.
Ayrton claimed that he had 'done what he believed to be his duty' and that
Hooker did not make himself easily available for 'public service'. Ayrton
claimed that his profession (politics) receives 'higher consideration than the
science of organic and inorganic matter'. Reports that Ayrton claimed that
Hooker had made 'grave charges against him' and that Hooker accused Ayrton of
'evasions and misrepresentations'. Adds that it was left to the Prime Minister,
William E
GladstoneGladstone, William Ewart
(1809–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, to resolve the controversy. (66)
Assuming the role of the 'Noble Savage', the poet 'clearly' but 'merely'
sees the 'slighted'
Joseph D
HookerHooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
(1817–1911)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. Asks if 'Him of fair name would substitution rob / For Noble
Savage of Ignoble Snob?'.
Argues that the 'chemical difference between the Diamond and Coal is so
little, that Coal may be regarded as a form of Carbon approximating to that of
Diamond'. Adds that while the difference in value between the substances was
'considerable', the price of coal is now so high that 'Coals are rapidly
getting approximated to Diamonds'.
Noting that the source of the Nile has only been conjectured, rather than
discovered, by
David
LivingstoneLivingstone, David
(1813–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, notes that 'Other travellers are still at loggerheads
about the question', their fierce letters to newspapers being explained by 'the
preponderance of "Locality" and other perceptive organs over those of
reflection, which contributes to make men roam, regardless of consequences,
among cannibals'.
Discusses an advertisement for a 'Vowel Washing Machine'. Asks how it works
and what function it serves. Wonders whether the machine would be of any
service to foul-mouthed individuals, and whether it could be used to purify
slang.
Entomology, Animal Behaviour, Industry, Societies, Cultural Geography,
Politics
Relates the story of a pet eel kept by a 'learned Fellow of a certain
University'. Reports on the account of a 'tame wasp' given by
John LubbockLubbock, Sir John, 4th Baronet and 1st Baron
Avebury
(1834–1913)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> at the
meeting of the
British
Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Science
CloseView the register entry >>. Notes that Lubbock's
taming of the wasp was not unprecedented and cites the example of 'Industrious
Fleas'. Hopes other insects could be 'brought up to practise some branch of
industry' and lists a wide variety of insects that Lubbock might be able to
tame. Suggests that anyone who can tame hornets should be appointed Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland and pacify the 'Irish hornet's nest'. Believes that
Lubbock is suitable for this position, owing to his gentility and
'extraordinary attainment in science'.
Believes that lovers of knowledge must be glad 'when the season comes [...]
Of philosophers' meets and fruit, / Of science and sociology'. Notes
Augustus H L Fox'sPitt-Rivers, Augustus Henry Lane Fox
(1827–1900)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> claim that
archaeology is a branch of anthropology, itself, according to Punch, a
'subject that's full of doubt'. Notes that 'the Sages' ignore phrenology but
study biology, which it believes is another term for physiology. Considers
physiology to be a branch of zoology and notes that some 'names' of fields,
notably entomology, conchology and ornithology, 'tax dunces' etymology'. Claims
that every science 'has with every other analogy' and accordingly notes that
astronomy is related to mineralogy. Believes that 'spectral analysis proves /
Things unforetold by Astrology' and that the particulars of
Alexander
Pope'sPope, Alexander
(1688–1744)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> ontology will consequently become 'husks of terminology'. In
anatomy, praises homology. Scorns tautology, a lesson that it believes the
'Rationalist School' apply to their 'neology'. Respects 'the wise men's rule, /
Which from Science excludes theology'.
Geography, Exploration, Race, Religion, Unbelief, Morality, Cultural
Geography
Comments on a
Pall Mall
GazettePall Mall Gazette
(1865–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> report containing the 'geographical results of the
Looshai Expedition'. Draws attention to the part of the report claiming that
the native women do not put rings in their ears and noses or blacken their
teeth. Believes native women differ greatly from 'our own' and have not yet
'experienced the benefit of missionary enterprise'. Thinks the Archbishop of
Canterbury,
Archibald C
TaitTait, Archibald Campbell
(1811–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, would regard such 'heathen' women as capable of promoting
(rather than corrupting) 'good manners'.
Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment, Anaesthetics,
Gender
In a hospital, Dr Evangeline, a female practitioner, asks Mr Sawyer whether
he is busy tomorrow afternoon, for she has an amputation to perform. Mr Sawyer
agrees to do the operation for her but Dr Evangeline points out that she only
wants him to 'administer the chloroform'.
Perplexed by an advertisement placed by a surgeon who, 'being about to
retire from ill health', wishes to 'dispose of a first-rate Business'. Notes
that, although a surgeon has some control over ill-health, it is not clear how
he could 'retire from it', unless by retirement to that place 'from which no
traveller returns'.
Supernaturalism, Miracle, Experiment, Natural Law, Medical Treatment,
Controversy, Faith
Comments on a controversy sparked by the proposal of
Henry
ThompsonThompson, Henry
(1815–97)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> in the
Contemporary ReviewContemporary Review
(1866–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> to assess the
efficacy of prayer experimentally (Thompson 1872Thompson,
Henry 1872. 'The "Prayer for the Sick": Hints Towards a Serious
Attempt to Estimate Its Value', Contemporary Review, 20,
205–10
CloseView the register entry >>). In the proposed experiment, two
hospitals are built, and to each are admitted 'the same number and the same
class of patients', but prayers are said for only one group of patients. If
more patients are cured in the prayed-for group, then prayer is efficacious.
Notes that the
Morning
PostMorning Post and Daily Advertising Pamphlet
(1772–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> objects to this, asking whether anybody would 'assay the
coin' or 'test the bread' given to them by a 'a monarch or learned professor'.
Punch thinks that this 'à fortiori argument derived from
human dignity' is 'infinitely illogical', because 'under the laws which govern
the physical universe, the test of truth, sine quâ non, is crucial
experiment'. Nevertheless thinks it a 'blunder' to use the same method in both
'natural and supernatural research'. Points out that the 'experimenter could
not be sure of his conditions' and could not be certain that prayers were
genuine or being said at all. Proposes that the safest plan would be to execute
the experiments in veterinary hospitals because 'dumb animals' would not pray
in the vicinity of the patients.
Addressed to his recent seaside companion, Mrs Smythe, the letter-writer
criticises her daughters for wearing 'monstrous' chignons and expresses relief
that the girls have now removed these 'hideous' excrescences. Supports his
argument with an extract from a a 'clever medical paper' which describes
Eduard von
Lindemann'sLindemann, Eduard von
(fl. 1867)
Lindemann 1867 CloseView the register entry >> continuing investigations into the parasitic bodies
found in chignons and other false tresses, animals that eventually 'penetrate
into the interior of the human organism' and produce a range of disorders. The
letter-writer urges the recipient that they should both 'raise their voices
against flaunting of false hair, with all its nasty, noxious, horrors'.
Claims that a 'London Correspondent of a respectable country paper states
that "it is rumoured that
MR.
AYRTONAyrton, Acton Smee
(1816–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> has turned Spiritualist"'. Adds that the
report also claims that Ayrton has developed into a medium in which capacity he
has 'laid out a market-garden, carved a statuette, painted a picture, made a
copy of verses, and dictated (in a trance-state) a courteous official
letter'.
Promises readers that they will be 'the first to hear from the ardent
astronomer' when a 'new planet swims into his ken' (a quote from
John Keats'sKeats, John
(1795–1821)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> Sonnet
IX), and when the philosopher 'discovers another lustrous metal'. Announces
that it had hoped to give information on the 'elusive' 'Sea Serpent' and
expects to see the creature in the
Zoological Society GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>
within a year. Thinks an expedition should be organised to search for other
mythical creatures, including the mermaid, unicorn, and phoenix. Reminds
readers of new creatures at the zoo, including mammals and marsupials. Notes
the increasing vogue for aquaria and a proposal to display a turtle in one of
them. (133)
An Autumn-Manoeuvring Cricket-Match. Reported by a Very Old Friend as
Taking Place Between the Eleven of Colwell
HatchneyColney Hatch Asylum
CloseView the register entry >> and the Sixty-Four of Any Other Place
Shows the de Tomkyns and Jenkins families on a crowded beach. Mrs de Tomkyns
tells her husband to stop their son playing with a 'strange child' and to do so
by telling the lie that their child is 'just recovering from scarlet fever'. Mr
Tomkyns does so, but the parents of the 'strange child', Mr and Mrs Jenkins,
reply that 'It's all right, Sir!' because their child is also just recovering
from the disease.
Announces that a person in California has discovered how to transmute baser
metals into gold, and to produce it 'by the ship-load'. Thinks this means that
the United States of America will not take the '(comparatively) few sovereigns
MR. LOWE [the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Robert LoweLowe, Robert, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
(1811–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>] was
going to send over [...] between now and next "Fall"'.
Announces that a chemist has claimed that cattle disease is caused by a
'noxious principle' in the atmosphere which also causes the 'Strike epidemic'.
Adds that the 'principle' is imponderable and only detectable by its effects on
'unthinking creatures'.
The narrator considers that he would have made a 'capital Doctor'. He
explains that he would have allowed the patient to 'prescribe for himself,
unconsciously' and details the ways in which he would cross-examine and handle
patients.
Notes from
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> that
the Prussians have 'invented a most destructive gun called "the Mouser"' (a
mis-spelling of 'Mauser'). Suggests that the Prussians use the gun on 'our
garotters' to 'save us the trouble of applying the cat'.
Laments the fact that remedies for one's 'maladies' can be obtained without
a ticket and without attendance at dispensaries, hospitals, or infirmaries.
Explains that there are some 'Philanthropic Chemists' who sell medicine 'at any
time, by ringing the bell' of their shop.
Addressing company directors, the singer begins by noting 'Lots killed and
maimed' in another collision; thus, 'There will be much to pay' in 'damages'
which will 'Reduce our dividends'. Suggests that an actuary should compute how
much money the company looses from accidents and asks whether it would be more
cost-effective to spend more money on wages 'To make collisions rare'.
Concludes by affirming that the company needs 'more skilled hands', so that
'each pointman' is 'no mere clown'.
Medical Practitioners, Instruments, Invention, Narcotics,
Measurement
Discusses a recent inquest at which it was revealed that the police had
wrongly concluded that the insensibility of the victim had been caused by
drunkenness. The inquest found that his insensibility was due to a fracture of
the skull, which the man had received during an assault. Criticizes the police
for their blundering and suggests that an 'ingenious medical mechanician'
should devise an instrument for measuring drunkenness.
A series of ridiculous nautical questions for naval cadets, many of which
pun on nautical terms. These include: 'Can you procure, at a Nautical
Instrument Makers, any spectacles specially adapted for Dead-Eyes?'.
Responds to messages exchanged by telegraph between the Lord Mayor of
London,
Sills J
GibbonsGibbons, Sir Sills John
(1809–76)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, and the Lord Mayor of Adelaide,
Adolph H F
BartelsBartels, Adolph Heinrich Friedrich
(d. 1878)
WBIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mayors_and_Lord_Mayors_of_Adelaide CloseView the register entry >>. The author boasts that telegraphy can place a 'girdle round
about the earth' in half the time Puck took to do the same feat. Notes that the
'tie' that hitherto bound Britain and the antipodes was made of gold, but adds
that, owing to the 'electric fire', the tie now consists of 'a few strands of
copper' that 'is likelier to last'. The electric wire enables the antipodes to
be 'one in soul' with Britain, to be 'still at home, howe'er far off you
settle', and to flash its 'warmth of kindred' to Britain. Despite the size of
the world, where 'seasons stand reversed and nature new', the telegraph keeps
'Australian hearts and English true'.
Spiritualism, Mesmerism, Psychology, Photography, Human
Development
Discusses a lecture on mesmerism in the
SpiritualistSpiritualist
(1869–82)
Psyche
(1882)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> describing how an Indian
yogi sought to purify his soul by sitting on sacred grass, called koos, and
concentrating 'on one object alone'. Wishes to procure a photograph of the
'self-mesmerising' yogi whose trance reminds the author of a baby mesmerised by
a wafer stuck on its nose by a 'naughty little clown of a boy'.
A series of statements from Mr Punch to his dog, Toby. In one statement he
claims that he does not 'hold with Darwinism. We are not related to the
animals. See here. Among birds the hen is always the dowdy, quietly feathered,
humble looking creature, while the cock (peacock and pheasant, for instance)
blazes out in splendour. While among ourselves—but you perceive the
argument'.
Shows an equestrian 'Noble Sportsman' at a hunt talking to a 'Huntsman'
standing beside the horse. The noble sportsman complains that his doctors
advise him not to hunt this season owing to difficulties he experiences in
breathing. The huntsman suggests ignoring the doctors and trying 'a mild
blister', and the noble sportsman agrees and resolves to 'consult the
'vet'.
Recognises that animal magnetism is 'still in its infancy' but thinks it
will develop to the point where mesmerists will be able to 'place any number of
criminals convicted of robbery with violence en rapport with each other;
so that one flogging will do for them all'. Proposes the invention of a
'whipping-engine or thrashing-machine, wherewith garotters could be
steam-flogged'. Believes that had our ancestors possessed 'modern mechanical
knowledge and resources' they would have invented a steam-powered machine for
flogging, branding, and shaving rogues.
Shows a young woman teacher in a classroom in which several boys and girls
stand. She asks them to name the four quarters of the world. One pupil answers
'air, earth, fire, and water', but another interjects with 'No
teacher,—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John'.
Military Technology, Steamships, Government, Politics
Addressed to the lords of the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >>, the writer
argues that 'One gun that will pierce, mind, is worth any number / Which will
not' and that small ships loaded with large guns are better and safer than
large ships.
Remembers hearing a lecture by
Michael
FaradayFaraday, Michael
(1791–1867)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> on the 'Conservation of Forces' (possibly a reference to
Faraday
1854–58Faraday,
Michael 1854–58. 'On the Conservation of Force',
Proceedings of the Royal Institution, 2, 352–65
CloseView the register entry >>) and boasts that he was 'the only person in the room,
except the lecturer, who understood it'. Suggests that somebody should lecture
on the 'Conservation of Farces'.
Notes that since stone and iron are no longer considered 'good' for
fire-proofing a building, 'we must go back, 'tis said, to wood'. Questions
whether brick burns faster than timber, and suggests that india-rubber may
provide the best solution.
Responds to news of a Parisian man who has established himself as a
mesmerist. Notes that he is called 'the Zouave JACOB' and
considers him the modern counterpart to
Valentine
GreatrakesGreatrakes, Valentine ('the Stroker')
(1629–83)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. Noting that Jacob bolsters his income by working as a
hatter, anticipates that some readers will think Jacob is 'as mad as a hatter'.
However, Jacob should be considered 'as mad as a mesmerist'.
The initial letter of the text forms part of an illustration showing a
monkey sitting on a tree, while holding a book labelled 'Darwin'. The text
notes that
Richard BaxterBaxter, Richard
(1615–91)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
allegedly exclaimed, on seeing a criminal on his way to the gallows, 'There,
but for divine grace, goes RICHARD BAXTER'.
Imagines that
Charles R
DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> would utter a 'corresponding though different reflection'. On
seeing a monkey scratching itself in the
Zoological Society GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>,
Darwin might observe, 'There, but for Natural Selection and the Struggle for
Existence, sits Charles Darwin'.
Describes an application made to Punch in the ensuing parliamentary
session for an act to incorporate the 'Aërial Railway Company' which will
begin 'at a point 10,000 feet or thereabouts above the Treasury in Downing
Street' and 'terminating at a point 10,000 feet or thereabouts above the White
House' and at a similar location above the imperial palace in Berlin. The
promoters also wish to build 'Castles, Stations, Liquor-bars' and other
conveniences along the line, to pay for the scheme by selling important British
buildings and also 'JOHN BULL and the British
Lion', and to amalgamate 'dignitaries and undignified persons whose names
create discord and excitement'.
Shows a group of people conversing in a drawing room. In the foreground,
several men gather around a young woman, and in the background the woman's
husband talks to a doctor. The husband, Mr Kiljoye, tells the doctor that he
thinks his wife has 'Such fearful depression of spirits!'. But when the doctor
interjects that his wife looks like the 'life of the party', Mr Kiljoye points
out that while she 'bears up in company' she is not so happy 'when we are
together alone'.
Time, Instruments, Transport, Military Technology,
Astronomy
Addressing policemen, who were recently on strike, the poet had 'no more
dreamed of thee being false to thy beat / Than the choicest chronometer that
for the fleet / Ever
AiryAiry, Sir George Biddell
(1801–92)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> at
GreenwichRoyal Observatory, Greenwich CloseView the register entry >> did choose!'.
Religious Authority, Education, Universities, Patronage
Responding to news that Irish Catholics wish the
Catholic University of Ireland,
DublinCatholic University of Ireland, Dublin CloseView the register entry >>, to be funded by the state, asks why academic subjects,
including astronomy, physiology, geology, and chemistry, 'should be adapted for
the Romish Church' as much as 'wines and some other goods are qualified for the
British market'. Asks whether history and science should be 'doctored' and
'cooked' by doctors of theology.
Discusses news that a Cape Town farmer has hatched ostrich eggs by an
incubator of his own construction. Surmises that to cope with such large eggs
the farm would have to be of 'Brobdingnagian dimensions' and speculates on the
large size of the incubator.
Hails
Henry BessemerBessemer, Sir Henry
(1813–98)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
whose invention for keeping a ship level in the water scorns 'Neptune's
bile-disturbing state' and, 'more than Britannia's self aspires to do', rules
the waves. Believes those who cross the English Channel pray that Bessemer will
'thrive' in his 'match 'gainst Neptune'. Like the Greeks, who 'read fates in
names', the poet changes the letters of Bessmer's name to read
'Baissez-mer' or 'Sea, lie low!'.
Punch, 63 (1872), 233.
The Freedom of the Bridges (A Recitation by a Ratepayer)
Military Technology, Steamships, Government, Politics, Commerce,
Morality
Describes the fate of two iron-clads from
Woolwich DockyardRoyal Navy—Woolwich Dockyard
CloseView the register entry >> as if
they were twins, raised by their uncle, the First Lord of the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >>,
George J
GoschenGoschen, George Joachim, 1st Viscount Goschen
(1831–1907)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, who, unable to 'maintain' the infants considered it 'best
to murder them [...] by accident'. Despite a bloody struggle, Goschen succeeds
in drowning his infants near
Chatham
DockyardChatham Dockyard
CloseView the register entry >>, 'in ancient Medway's arms'. The author thinks it a 'shame
for Merry England that her Children should thus drown' and points out that
there are 'thirty thousand Englishmen' who would throw Goschen overboard. It
ends on a happier note, however, with the
Royal Humane
SocietyRoyal Humane Society
CloseView the register entry >> exacting its revenge on Goschen by hoisting the vessels to
the surface and returning them to Woolwich.
Wonders whether the study of phrenology makes 'folks mean': proceeds to
relate the story of a phrenologist who was anxious to study 'some poor man's
head, so got him to shave it'. He then dismissed the man, who was too poor to
buy a wig. The author also describes a recent dinner party where a lady
referred to 'this grand new sea-bottom exploration' (a reference to the
HMS
ChallengerHMS Challenger CloseView the register entry >> expedition) and said that 'it was delightful to
learn that invisible shells could be found at awful depths, but that it would
be much more delightful to hear that the dredgers had brought up some real
Treasures of the Deep'.
Written from the perspective of
HMS Challenger
HMS Challenger CloseView the register entry >>, which describes its physical appearance and points out that
its voyage is neither 'a cruise to train' seaman, nor an expedition to
'practise manoeuvres, or study steam-tactics'. Rather, it is heading for an
expedition to 'sound Ocean', 'to dredge up samples precise of [Neptune's]
mattress's stuffing', to 'study the dip and dance of the needle', and 'test the
currents of ocean and air'. After learning whether the 'Austral Antarctic
Aurora' outdoes the aurora in the Isle of Kerguelen, it will 'look on at the
transit of Venus'. Notes how the ship has turned into a 'peripatetic /
PolytechnicRoyal Polytechnic Institution
CloseView the register entry >> marine exhibition'.
To John Bull's question regarding the funding of the expedition, the ship
replies that the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Robert LoweLowe, Robert, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
(1811–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, decided
that the expedition would 'cost no more than keeping my hull in commission' and
would 'pay by results'. Proud to be sailing on a 'grand cruise of science' on
which 'high souls have reliance', despite the fact that Lowe has 'no objection
to knowledge / So long as it don't cost a bob'. Wants to challenge the notion
that 'nothing of nothing can come'.
Ponders the composition of the meteors 'which of late across the sky have
shot'. Denies that they are aerolites and proposes that they bear some relation
'to the quantity of water that has floated in the air'. Inspired by reports
that 'washy weather' commonly follows the 'celestial fireworks' produced in
meteors' 'nocturnal flight'. Notes that some think that
Biela'sBiela, Wilhelm von
(1782–1856)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
comet has arrived prematurely and 'burst up into' the meteors. Claims that the
earth may have had a 'brush' with its tail, thus explaining why 'it has rained
cats and dogs like mad'. Notes the persistence of wet and muggy weather despite
changes in pressure and wind speed. Believes that the earth may have just had
an 'escape' from the comets which 'may but vapour be, or gas'. Expects that the
comet, which has 'switched us with its tail', will be seen for earth.
Responds to Darwin's claim that 'our male semi-human progenitors "possessed
great canine teeth"' and 'if our ears had remained moveable, their movements
would have been highly expressive'. Links this to Dogberry's remark in
William
Shakespeare'sShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>Much Ado About Nothing: 'Dost thou not suspect
my ears?'. Believes that 'nobody can suspect' Darwin's ears, otherwise
Punch would have suspected 'the ears of the philosopher [...] of
egregrious longitude'.
Argues that the purpose of the
HMS
ChallengerHMS Challenger CloseView the register entry >> voyage is to inculcate interest in topography and
a greater appreciation of 'round the world' expeditions. Describes the places
to be visited and the tasks to be completed during the expedition. In most
cases, the task is related to the place. For example, the ship will explore
'the seas that wash the coasts' of Sweden and Switzerland, it will dredge the
Atlantic, 'German', and other oceans, and will visit the Canaries 'for the
information of the ornithologists of the party'. It will visit Australia to
procure 'tinned meat and kangaroo soup' and 'explore the mountains which are
believed to project from the bottom of the Antipodean Sea'. It will explore the
Gulf of Carpenter, 'out of respect' for
William B
CarpenterCarpenter, William Benjamin
(1813–85)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>. On its return journey, it will investigate 'the Fauna
and Flora of the various Pacific Oceans', attempt to explore the
Gulf Stream 'and its influence on the weather and conversation', and to
determine whether the 'Bight of Benin' is dangerous or not. By the time it
returns the expedition will have 'mixed in best Arctic Circles' and dredged the
Spanish Main for galleons and the Cape for 'warm clothing'. The author
attributes any inaccuracies that may have crept into his account of the
expedition on his lack of the latest edition of
Alexander K Johnston'sJohnston, Alexander Keith, the elder
(1804–71)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> atlas.
Remarks that several learned institutions, including the
Royal SocietyRoyal Society of London
CloseView the register entry >>,
Zoological
SocietyZoological Society of London
CloseView the register entry >>, and the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >>, consider
the most important part of the expedition to be the 'acquisition of a Sea
Serpent and capture of a live Mermaid'. Believes the cost of the voyage can be
met from the sale of 'stuffed remains' of creatures to learned institutions,
such as the
British
MuseumBritish Museum
CloseView the register entry >> and the
Royal
College of SurgeonsRoyal College of Surgeons
CloseView the register entry >>.
Mesmerism, Mental Illness, Psychology, Homeopathy, Medical
Practitioners, Gender
Responds to a report in the
Homeward
MailHomeward Mail from India, China and the East
(1857–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> of a woman who fell into an 'insensible' state whenever
she was in the presence of her husband, even when the latter was 'carefully
disguised'. The woman's parents tried to legally separate the couple on grounds
of the woman's health. The case was investigated by
Dr CullenCullen, Dr
(fl. 1872)
PU1/63/24/2 CloseView the register entry >> and the
court concluded that, since the husband 'unconsciously mesmerised' his wife,
the couple should be legally separated. Punch doubts the authenticity of
the story, not least because it believes 'there are more facts in physiology
and psychology than are dreamt of in Incredulity's philosophy'. Notes that
homeopaths and mesmerists would recommend that the husband, having
involuntarily mesmerised his wife into unconsciousness, should mesmerise her
out of it. Believes this is more humane practice than that used by most
husbands dealing with their cataleptic wives, and that marital happiness should
result from a wife being able to share all her husband's pleasures 'by mesmeric
sympathy'.