Alluding to
Lytton 1862Lytton, Edward George
Lytton Bulwer 1862. A Strange Story, 2 vols, London: Sampson
Low
CloseView the register entry >>, the first
extract describes the narrator's encounter with a 'monstrous Snake' to which he
was drawn by 'Magnetic fascination'. In the second extract the narrator
complains of the way in which firemen leave their pipes 'to trip up
gentlemen'.
Written to represent an individual of limited literacy and possessing an
erratic nature, this begins by deriding the astrological 'Physicians'
Richard J
MorrisonMorrison, Richard James ('Zadkiel')
(1795–1874)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Francis MooreMoore, Francis
(1657–1714?)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
but then begins to speculate on the possible impact of Jupiter's location in
Libra on international and domestic affairs. This includes 'Mother Goose's'
series of spoof horoscopes.
Opening with a geometrical proposition, this article plays on the double
meanings of the words 'square' and 'angle' to describe how 'CD a young lady'
'angles' for 'a husband' in the 'square' 'AB'.
Addressed to those interested in the 'curiosities of savage life',
especially the 'practice of "wife-snatching among the Torokas"', the narrator
describes a 'companion' custom of the 'West-Indians' in which 'a fair and
bashful Maiden' of the tribe, controlled by the female chiefs of the tribe,
catches her 'Heir' with a lasso. Proceeds to describe some of the customs and
characteristics of the tribe, including their clubs (where heirs enjoy refuge
from their female pursuers), the fact that they are 'very amiable and quite
trustworthy' despite their 'predatory habits', their bartering for girls with
'trifling articles of virtú', and their talkativeness. Adds that
the tribe is 'deplorably superstitious', linking slight noises, such as a 'rap
on a table', to spirits.
Zoology, Animal Behaviour, Amusement, Religious Authority
Describes the popularity of the 'Aye-aye' [at the
Zoological Society
GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>], and anticipates that the 'No-no' (Pope Pius IXPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> or Pio Nono) will
also arrive in Britain. Notes that the No-no, like the Aye-aye, has 'mild and
quiet habits' although it occasionally displays a 'savage temperament'.
Shows the ghosts of
George
WashingtonWashington, George
(1732–99)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> and
King George
IIIGeorge III, King of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover
(1738–1820)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> standing in the Elysian fields and contemplating the bloody
American Civil War. George III asks Washington what he thinks of his 'fine
republic now, eh?', to which Washington utters a 'Humph'. In the background,
several female figures hold their heads in despair.
'The Jo-Jebb-aways—a set of savages, worse than any Indians'—a
reference to the convicts whose brutal tendencies are not markedly quelled by
Jebb's relaxed system of incarceration.
Discusses 'A Fact for
Mr.
DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>'—the report of a visit to Madagascar which revealed
that the inhabitants 'claim descent from the [...] native baboon'. Argues that
although humans may not be alike, they share with the baboon a 'family
likeness' that confirms their descent from monkeys. Thinks the missing link
between the 'bimana and quadrumana' of the country may be the 'howling Yahoo'
found in Ireland and America.
Punch, 44 (1863), 20.
The District Telegraph. Invaluable to the Man of Business
Shows two business partners in a Fleet Street office. One partner holds a
telegram in his hand and, after expressing his wonder at this age of steam and
gas, boasts to his colleague of the 'facilities offered us by electricity', and
points out that he has just received a telegram which was sent from nearby
Oxford Street 'only' the previous afternoon.
Describes the American nation as if it were a bird of prey. The features and
habits of this 'aërial Republican' include turning 'a disdainful tail upon
those ancient Courts where garbage and aristocracy abide'. Ironically notes the
ability of birds bred in 'different quarters of the great transatlantic
continent—for example, North and South—sitting on the same perch'
to show 'their willingness to live or die together'. Goes on to describe the
'President of the Crags and Mountain-tops' who is usually extremely amiable,
except when it faces the 'old English Bull-dog', against which it 'manifests
the fiercest animosity'. Observes that 'the Britisher is a cheerful old dog',
regards with 'indifference' the hostility of the Yankee Eagle, and would
'gladly form one of a "happy family" embracing among other denizens of the
Menagerie, the Yankee Eagle, the Gallican Cock, and the great Russian
Bear'.
Includes a limerick describing 'an Old Girl of South Kilworth' who asks 'the
homeopath,
Dr. DilworthDilworth, Dr (homeopath)
(fl. 1863)
PU1/44/4/1 CloseView the register entry >> [...]
What's such a ridiculous pill [his globule] worth?'
Describes the
Dramatic
AlmanackDramatic Almanack
(cited 1869)
PU1/56/5/1 CloseView the register entry >>, a publication containing valuable information for
anybody interested in theatre. It boasts complete 'astronomical intelligence'
and contains 'a perfect registry of all the movements of the "stars"', with
times of their first riding as well as those when they have set'.
Ornithology, Animal Behaviour, Religious Authority
An implicit comparison of
Pope Piux IXPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> to an
ageing starling in his 'costly cage', this poem describes the bird's 'poor old
wings / Clipped close as shears can shave', his 'draggled tail', and his
memories of the 'days gone by' when he used to chant 'Non possumus,
possumus, possumus' and related catechisms. Notes the bird's hatred of the
'watchful hand that coops / His dark and dreary age', his quest for freedom
from the 'French gaolers' [a reference to the pope's hostility to Piedmont] and
Britannia's offer of freedom on the island of Malta, rather than living 'caged
in a Roman hall'. The bird remains and continues with his chant.
Opens by describing how 'Old King Cotton' ordered his subjects, 'Bobbins and
Jenny and Mules' and others, to stop work 'Till North and South live in
amity'.
Shows an old sailor talking to a young boy who is about to float his model
sailing ship on a river. The 'Old Salt' informs the boy, 'it's no use
dewotin' your talents to building Wessels o' that there class, now-a-days',
and advises him to 'inwent a sort o' Iron Biler as ull sail without
Canwas' and get to 'Ameriky' without a rudder.
Discusses an advertisement for 'Mental Toilet Soap', a soap that, when
applied to the body, imparts a 'safe stimulant' that is ideal for public
performers. Punch stresses the benefits of such a soap to teetotallers
'who no doubt must often feel themselves in want of a "safe stimulant"' and who
will subsequently enjoy washing as much as drinking. Rejoices in the
possibility that 'orators and Preachers', statesmen, and authors will be more
alert after washing with the soap.
Describes the 'official costume' to be worn by members of the
Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical Society
CloseView the register entry >> at its
'usual weekly meetings'. The coat and trousers form 'a complete map of the
world, the arms displaying geological strata, a charts of rivers of the world,
and 'population returns', while the hat is a model of Mount Etna. The
illustration shows a portly man modelling this costume.
Quackery, Medical Treatment, Crime, Controversy, Analytical
Chemistry
Announces the 'momentous' news of the 'statement of the composition of
HOLLOWAY'S OINTMENT', a revelation made by
Olof L
SillénSillén, Olof Leopold
(b. 1813)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, a Swedish physician who demanded £500 from
Thomas
HollowayHolloway, Thomas
(1800–83)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> for securing a French patent for his ointment. In taking
legal action against Holloway for breaking his agreement, Sillén
revealed that Holloway considered his pills to be a 'great purifier of the
blood' and that on analysing Holloway's ointment, 'authorised French chemists'
established that it contained 'BUTTER, LARD, BORDEAUX, TURPENTINE,
WHITE WAX, YELLOW WAX, AND NOTHING ELSE'. Noting Holloway's denial of
this claim, Punch agrees with him but insists that the French chemists
were right to suggest that there was nothing more 'material' in the ointment
than the substances discovered. Reports that owing to its bland composition,
the ointment did not provoke French fears of 'secret remedies' and was given a
patent. Turning to Holloway's 'Pills', Punch adopts the suggestion
published in The Family Doctor (probably
Anon 1858-59Anon. [1858–59]. The Family Doctor: Being a
Complete Encyclopedia of Domestic Medicine and Household Surgery [...]
By a Dispensary Surgeon, 2 vols, London: Houlston and Wright
CloseView the register entry >>) that they
contain 'vegetable matter like scammony, or jalap, or soap', and thus both
pills and ointment that can be made by anyone. Concludes by noting that the
French chemists agreed to license Holloway's treatment as a 'Pommade'
and thus a likely basis for hair treatment.
Discusses the conclusions reached by
Henry H M Herbert (4th
Earl of Carnarvon)Herbert, Henry Howard Molyneux, 4th Earl of
Carnarvon
(1831–90)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> following his inspection of 'our pet-prisons',
noting the high quality of the food, clothes, and cells enjoyed by the
prisoners. Believes that 'such care is shown to keep them all in happiness and
health, that one might fancy them inmates of a medical establishment, such as
we find at Malvern or among the German baths'. Anticipates that 'if this state
of things goes on, there will be yearly greater numbers of persons who are
anxious to gain entrance to a gaol', and thus people will be committing crimes
to enjoy better food. The illustration shows a convict enjoying his comfortable
cell—smoking a cigar and reading a newspaper.
Notes the popularity of
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
weather forecasts written by
Robert FitzroyFitzroy, Robert
(1805–65)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>.
Stresses Fitzroy's warning that his forecasts are 'conjectural; as merely
probable inferences from observations in meteorology; an infant science', and
that such phenomena as 'electrical change' can affect his calculations.
Proceeds to describe complaints levelled at Fitzroy for being 'occasionally
"out"' and treating him as if he were 'a professional weather prophet, a
mercenary impostor, a charlatan, a quack, a
ZadkielMorrison, Richard James ('Zadkiel')
(1795–1874)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
or a
Francis MooreMoore, Francis
(1657–1714?)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, a
Physician'. Considers that the mildness of Fitzroy's replies emphasises the
ridiculous and uncharitable nature of his assailants.
Shows a Confederate general riding a horse. His head is a telegraphic
transmitting and receiving apparatus, and in one hand he holds an uprooted
telegraph pole with wires streaming from the top. This represents James E B
Stuart's attacks on Union telegraphic networks.
Photography, Technology, Chemistry, Politics, Language
Announcing his newly opened 'Photographic Establishment at Messrs.
Blackwood's, London and Edinburgh', 'A. W. Kinglake' (the historian of the
Crimean War
Alexander W
KinglakeKinglake, Alexander William
(1809–91)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) invites 'persons holding conspicuous public position' to
his establishment 'for producing life-like resemblances in small or large,
either on the scale of the popular cartes-de-visite, or as magnified by
the solar and osy-hydrogen apparatus'. The advertisement reflects Kinglake's
admiration of
Fitzroy J H
Somerset (1st Baron Raglan)Somerset, Lord Fitzroy James Henry, 1st
Baron Raglan
(1788–1855)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and hostility to
Emperor Napoleon
IIINapoleon III, Emperor of France (originally
Louis Napoléon (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte))
(1808–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of France, and his desire to represent them in favourable and
poor lights respectively. After describing his representation of the 'leading
incidents in the careers of his illustrious sitters, he describes his
dissolving views (including '"The Entente Cordiale" and "La Gloire
Francaise"', for which he expects great demand in France), and announces
his invention of a process for 'taking portraits which entirely dispenses with
natural light'. This process enables the subject to appear in shade (notably
Napoleon III) or 'under the effect of couleur de rose (notably Raglan
and 'other English Generals'). He also announces his invention and processes
which clearly reflect his hostility to the French: a 'new Anti-Gallic Acid'
which brings out the 'lights and darks' of sitters and his 'stock of
double-distilled Gall-odium'.
Shows
Emperor Napoleon
IIINapoleon III, Emperor of France (originally
Louis Napoléon (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte))
(1808–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of France sitting in a photographic studio. Standing in front of
Napoleon and near his camera is his severe critic,
Alexander W
KinglakeKinglake, Alexander William
(1809–91)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> (the historian of the Crimean War) represented as a
photographer, who urges the emperor that he needs to 'be much more in shade'.
Like
Henry R Howard, 'The Standard Bearer to the Confederate
General
Stuart', Punch, 44 (1863), 58 this plays on the double meaning of
shade and uses photography to comment on French politics.
Includes a limerick describing 'A Young Lady of Alnwick, / Whose touch was
so highly galvanic, / That the people she'd meet / Used to spring on both feet,
/ And fly down the street in a panic'.
Strongly objects to the implications of an advertisement for 'Patent
Newly-Invented Spectacles' that have been patronised by
Henry J Temple (3rd
Viscount Palmerston)Temple, Henry John, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
(1784–1865)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, among others. Stresses that Palmerston's
'vision was never clearer than it is at present' and 'shows no signs of growing
defective'.
Human Development, Descent, Evolution, Animal Behaviour
This opening full-page article is a notable departure for Punch: it
is designed to resemble the first page of a serialised sensation novel, with
opening illustration and three columns of text. The illustration shows a
simian-looking character riding a horse during a thunderstorm at night. The
text describes the arrival in England of two figures, one 'a short, stout,
hunchbacked man, about six feet three in height', who tries to climb a vertical
cliff face using his teeth to grip on to projections from the cliff ([71]).
Later the hunchback steals a horse, 'Moke Anna, or Mokeanna', from a farm where
he finds morsels of meat to eat and which he later sets on fire (72). He makes
his escape on the horse.
Shows a young 'Street Arab' talking to a friend. He points to an
approaching 'Swell' as his 'Medikle Man', which Punch
suggests identifies the latter character as the boy's 'young friend and
Prison Surgeon'.
Suggests reasons for the absence of news about 'the Spirit Rappers'
including the possibility of mediums becoming 'honest', their want of
'simpletons' to be tricked, and the success of 'Punch's cudgel' against
them.
Punch, 44 (1863), 79.
Political Economy (As Understood by Most of Our
Politicians)
A series of maxims describing ways in which one can lose money, including
'To buy in the dearest market, and to sell in the cheapest', and 'To increase
your expenditure in proportion as your neighbour increases his'.
Notes that while Russia is known to make one daily revolution around the
'Pole', it has only recently been established that 'the Pole purposes making
one continual revolution about Russia'—a reference to the recent Polish
uprising against Russian rule.
Discusses a circular letter sent by
W J NixonNixon, W J
(fl. 1863)
PU1/44/9/5 CloseView the register entry >> to 'Bethlem'
(i.e.
Bethlehem Royal HospitalBethlehem Royal Hospital
CloseView the register entry >>) and
St Thomas's
HospitalSt Thomas's Hospital
CloseView the register entry >>, which explains that
Henry W PeekPeek, Sir Henry William, 1st Baronet
(1825–98)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> has
offered to give a large freehold site for the new Bethlem Hospital on the
condition that St Thomas's is rebuilt on the site of the old Bethlem Hospital
and that twenty thousand guineas is given to the
London
HospitalLondon Hospital
CloseView the register entry >>. Upholding the need to place lunatics in a better
environment and the need to support the London Hospital, Punch concludes
that the authorities of Bethlem and St Thomas's should be sent to Bedlam (i.e.
to the Bethlehem Royal Hospital itself) if they decline this offer, and expects
the British public to raise the sum for the London Hospital.
Presents the comments of the 'Clerk of the Weather' (i.e. the imaginary
functionary supposed to control the weather) to
Robert FitzroyFitzroy, Robert
(1805–65)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
regarding the 'meteorological arrangements for Spring', now that Fitzroy has
'stolen upon him'.
Following
Anon, 'The Panacea Proclaimed!', Punch, 44 (1863), 52, urges readers to stop paying
'13½d for a box of Quack Pills' when they can make such remedies for
themselves using ingredients from a druggist and recipes in 'any handbook of
domestic medicine'.
Discusses a circular published by the
Nottingham Spiritual CircleNottingham Spiritual Circle
CloseView the register entry >>
requesting clergymen and aristocrats to contribute to a fund for publishing 'an
entire new Bible' which they seek to produce following the command of
'Divine Revelation' received by a medium,
John G H BrownBrown, John George Henry
(fl. 1863)
Barrow 1986 CloseView the register entry >>.
Castigating members of the Nottingham Spiritual Circle as fools and rogues,
considers their impudence to be 'so marvellous as even to lend a certain
plausibility to the pretence of Spiritualism', and that the poor grammar of the
circular may illustrate the corrupting influence of evil spirits on 'good
English'. Condemns the attempt by Brown to raise money for the so-called
'Message of God' as 'effrontery and idiotcy', and the spiritualist circle to
which he belongs as a criminal 'Gang'.
Discusses news of a recent accident on the newly opened underground railway
in London. The accident prompted reports written in an 'off-hand' and light
manner, but 'was the result of abominable carelessness on the part of
somebody'. Punch urges the
Metropolitan Railway CompanyMetropolitan Railway Company
CloseView the register entry >> to
'look alive'. Recommending this 'cheerful style of reporting accidents,
Punch gives some examples and anticipates that newspapers will be 'much
more pleasant reading' as a result.
Reports that since the publication 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 >>,
'Horticulturalists have been making rapid strides in the improvement of the
races of vegetables and plants', as suggested by the names of plants published
in the
Gardener's
ChronicleGardener's Chronicle
(1841–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> (the 'student parsnip' and 'pedigree wheat') and the
possibility of a four-leaved shamrock. Goes on to discuss the ways in which
flowers are named after celebrities.
Reports on the protest by
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 >> against the number of new railway
schemes which threaten to cut London 'into pieces', and to cause disruptions to
thoroughfares, the demolition of buildings, and the likely construction of
'hideous viaducts and frightful termini'. Adds that Mr Punch hopes Derby will
'smash the Bill' to introduce the new railway schemes.
Discusses a row between 'gushing gents who write for the cheap press' and 'a
certain noble duke' who killed a fox being hunted by his 'rich neighbours' and
which had run onto his land. The 'Gushers' regarded this as 'an act of
overbearing tyrannical oppression' of a 'freeborn British subject', the fox.
Stresses that Mr Punch does not think the 'Gushers' have good grounds for being
so abusive towards the duke, regarding fox hunting as 'a national fine English
institution, and does more good to the country than the gushing gents may
know'. He rejects the 'Gushers'' claim that fox-hunting is 'frivolous and
foolish' and insists that it is a pastime that 'brings classes together'.
Preferring the 'fine old country fox-hunter' to that of a 'smoke-dried
pumped-out individual' who takes his pleasures only in the town, he upholds the
motto of '"Live and let live" [...] and don't kill foxes but by hunting them in
fair and manly sport'. The illustration shows an aristocrat who, while riding a
goose, pursues a fox.
Punch, 44 (1863), 111.
A Royal Letter—The King of Dahomey and Sir Joshua Jebb
Presents spoof correspondence between
King GleleGlele, King of Abomey
(fl. 1858–89)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> of Dahomey,
who perpetuated the West African nation's notorious slave trade, and the
surveyor-general of prisons,
Joshua JebbJebb, Sir Joshua
(1793–1863)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. The king
tells Jebb ('Medicine Man') that his sympathetic modes of treating 'Grabbers'
have not 'arrested' their moral 'disorder', and explains how people within his
'dominions' prefer 'some prompt and easy means of stopping the malady'. Gele
welcomes any of Jebb's patients to Dahomey, where they will benefit from
increased 'circulation'. In reply, Jebb acknowledges his correspondent's
sympathy and explains that while his patients need a 'salubrious place of
retreat', the climate of Dahomey would be too warm for individuals as 'morbidly
sensitive as the Grabbers'. In a postscript, Jebb presents the reasons why his
friend 'SIR GEORGE' (a reference to the Home Secretary
George GreyGrey, Sir George
(1799–1882)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) does not
think transporting the patients to Dahomey will be a good idea.
Notes the 'Navy Debate' and the opposition to the government's proposal to
'build five new wooden ships to be coated with iron' by those who wish the
ships to be built solely from iron. The government's proposal was, however,
accepted.
Opens by explaining how the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> has appeared to have answered Punch's earlier
questions about the apparent disappearance of the 'Rappers' (Anon, 'How About the Rappers', Punch, 44 (1863), 78), by detailing some 'alleged spiritual
phenomena' attributed to trickery by 'some gentlemen'. Proceeds to discuss a
notice in the Spiritual Magazine on
Home 1863Home, Daniel
Dunglas 1863. Incidents in My Life, London : Longman, Green,
Longman, Roberts & Green
CloseView the register entry >>. Focuses on
Daniel D Home'sHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
description of an incident in which he found himself levitating and descending
unconsciously among some aristocratic friends, and questions why Home did not
reveal the name of the count who pulled off Home's boots 'against spiritual
agency'. Proceeds to a similar incident related by Home in which the medium
claimed to have levitated towards and written on a ceiling in the company of
'five gentlemen'. Punch asks for 'any credible and respectable person'
to 'endorse Mr. Home's declaration', pointing out that 'There is an amount of
testimony that would overcome the incredulity of even Mr. Punch' who
would believe
Henry J Temple (3rd
Viscount Palmerston)Temple, Henry John, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
(1784–1865)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
Michael
FaradayFaraday, Michael
(1791–1867)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, and
Richard OwenOwen, Richard
(1804–92)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> if
they confirmed 'the evidence of his own eyesight' that 'the Lion at
Northumberland House' wagged its tail.
Descent, Darwinism, Evolution, Human Development, Time,
Gender
Noting
Thomas H
Huxley'sHuxley, Thomas Henry
(1825–95)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> claim that man has developed from '"some lower pithecoid
form", say the Gorilla', the spoof letter-writer Owen Ap Shenkin questions the
identity of 'our first parents'. Considers the possibility that man's infant
prodigies were 'Adam and Eve', 'Gorillas', and mice, but points out that it is
not plausible to stop with these. Instead, 'We must pursue our pedigree through
all the gradations of animal life', noting that 'at least as many' species,
'beginning with the "pithecoid", lie between us and the first form'. Wonders
whether 'our genealogy' will take us down to 'a filament of mould or lichen'.
Proceeds to argue that consideration of the number of 'infant prodigies [...]
developed in the course of man's 'progressive development'' forces acceptance
of Huxley's claim for the greater antiquity of man, and the notion of a vastly
increased number of prodigies. Concludes by dismissing the idea of tracing his
ancestry 'to the monad of a million years ago [...] to the slug'. Philander
presents a much more hysterical reply to the notion of 'Progressive
Development' and, moreover, the 'Origin of Woman from the Gorilla'—the
latter possibility conflicting with the narrator's experiences of female beauty
as presented at the recent royal wedding procession to mark the marriage of
Prince
EdwardEdward VII, King of Great Britain and Ireland and
of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, Emperor of India
(1841–1910)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Describing the celebrations on the occasion of the marriage of
Prince EdwardEdward VII, King of Great Britain and Ireland and
of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, Emperor of India
(1841–1910)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
recalls the lavish illuminations used in the London streets, noting the 'huge
sea lanterns' that 'dimly showed on
WREN'SWren, Sir Christopher
(1632–1723)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> cathedral height
[St Paul's
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral
CloseView the register entry >>' but laments the fact that 'Science rather made a mull
with her electric light'.
Shows a 'Youthful Artist' in an art dealer's shop. He asks the old
woman behind the counter whether she sells 'Anatomical Plates' to which
the woman replies 'no; we don't keep no Crockery here!'.
Noting the 'Red Spectre of Democracy' which the advisers of
King Wilhelm
IWilhelm I, Emperor of Germany and King of
Prussia
(1797–1888)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of Prussia hold up to him, anticipates that
John H PepperPepper, John Henry
(1821–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, the
great hand 'at playing with spectres', will 'expose' the 'Red Spectre' as an
illusion, and perhaps 'embody the result of his experiments in the form of a
most laughable Spectre-Farce'.
Railways, Environmentalism, Engineering, Pollution, Sanitation, Public
Health, Secularism
Lamenting the prospect of 'thirty Railways or so' intersecting London,
suggests abandoning attempts to improve the capital. These include the
Thames
EmbankmentThames Embankment
CloseView the register entry >>, which will be spoilt by myriad railway bridges, and the
metropolitan drainage works, which will serve a city whose population has been
driven out by the 'stench' and 'noise' of the new railway lines. Responding to
a proposal to secularise 'old useless City Churches', suggests that
St Paul's
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral
CloseView the register entry >> be 'likewise desecrated', since it is likely to be ruined
by a nearby railway. Ironically suggests turning the cathedral into a railway
terminus.
Military Technology, War, Politics, Human Development, Race,
Morality
Opens by questioning whether
William G
Armstrong'sArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> 'last new cannon' will prove a 'peculiar boon' to the
'Doves of Peace', and proceeds to explain how his cannon can 'knock a hole
slap' through the sides of any 'mail-clad man-of war'. Jove's thunderbolts pale
into insignificance when compared with Armstrong's six-hundred pound shot.
Ponders who should be entrusted with such a weapon, pointing to those who would
'never tempt to strike a needless blow', and whether the gun could 'impose'
conditions on mankind such as the end of the 'Grand Customs of Dahomey'
(slavery), the rights of negroes, and the emancipations of the Poles (from
Russian rule). Concludes by insisting that the Armstrong gun will protect
English 'hearths and homes' and rejoices in the weapon.
Explains to its 'Correspondent Birdcatcher' that 'a Thrush always builds its
nest in a horse's hoof', and that the relationship between French and English
birds is that 'Louis d'or [a reference to
Emperor Napoleon
IIINapoleon III, Emperor of France (originally
Louis Napoléon (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte))
(1808–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of France] is first cousin and not cousin German to a Jack
Daw'.
Animal Behaviour, Animal Development, Breeding, War,
Politics
Opens by describing the pervasiveness in 'Creation, high and low' of the
tendency of mothers to spurn foes who attack their young. Considers this in the
context of the 'rage' of Poland, which refused to obey the orders of
Tsar Alexander IIAlexander II, Tsar of Russia
(1818–81)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
of Russia to 'Tear Poland's son from Poland's heart'—to force Poles to
fight for the Russians against their 'mother' country. Goes on to describe how
'mother' Poland leapt 'at her oppressor's throat' and after a struggle forced
Russia 'to fly'. Likens the Polish uprising to 'bees around a baffled bear'.
(135)
Death, Sanitation, Putrefaction, Pollution, Religious Authority,
Religion, Superstition
Discusses a
Liverpool
MailLiverpool Mail
(1836–81)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> report of a Roman Catholic priest who, after burying a
Protestant child in a Catholic cemetery, purified the ground. Questioning the
priest's motives, notes that the addition of the remains of a child to the
ground could not have warranted the 'need of a disinfectant' and wonders if the
priest has to purify the ground every time it is opened for a Protestant.
Suggests that the priest must be a good customer for chloride of lime, but
questions the implication that Catholic corpses do not need to be covered with
this material: agrees that Catholics (and especially, the 'low Irish'
Catholics) might indeed 'exhale' an air of 'sanctity', but that this is better
treated with chloride of lime than holy water. Concludes that the priest must
have used holy water and, doubting whether a child's corpse could have done any
'spiritual harm' to another corpse, suggests that his action of purification
was a form of exorcism.
The initial letter forms part of an illustration showing Neptune sitting in
a shell-shaped boat powered by a steam engine, which is itself a saucer-shaped
object driven by bellows worked by Neptune. The text is written from the
perspective of an old seaman of limited literary ability, and in it he
criticises the choice of
MiniatureMiniature, ship CloseView the register entry >> for
the name of a 'noo Man o'War wot they're Goin too Larnch'. Later he expresses
astonishment that the vessel will have five iron masts and insists that such
'floating coleskuttles' will 'poot a end To all C fitein and y?—cause no
henemy, unless so b that h'es hintoxicated, will think o'cumin anigh 'em and
then wot's too bkum of the
HadmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >>'. He
develops his views in a song entitled 'THE BRAVE OLD OKE', which upholds the
material 'wot Has sarved britannyer long' despite the fact that 'ParleymentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >>
says ion his More strong'. Goes on to contrast the accuracy of the 'round canon
Bawl' to the shells that 'has the sway', and to criticise the money spent
'shelling Out ot the Admiralty'.
Requests 'a considerable number of Clever Young Snobs to compete for the
Commission of Surgeon in the
ArmyArmy
CloseView the register entry >>' owing to 'an extreme
Scarcity of Eligible Candidates'. Attributing the latter to the refusal of such
men to be treated as anything other than gentlemen, asks that all applicants be
fellows of the
Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of Physicians
CloseView the register entry >> and
the
Royal
College of SurgeonsRoyal College of Surgeons
CloseView the register entry >>, doctors of medicine, and in possession of
diplomas recognised under the Medical Registration Act. Adds that they must be
prepared to be subjected to such humiliating rituals as occupying 'a position
subordinate to that of every combatant officer, even the youngest Ensign'.
Medical Practitioners, Colleges, Commerce, Government
Discusses a petition, 'signed by tradesmen and others', sent to the
House of
CommonsHouse of Commons
CloseView the register entry >> 'praying for exemption from Income-Tax of all incomes up to
and including £150 a-year', and another petition, signed by senior
members of the
Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of Physicians
CloseView the register entry >> and
the
Royal
College of SurgeonsRoyal College of Surgeons
CloseView the register entry >>, asking for 'readjustment of the Income-tax as
between industrial earnings and the products of property'. Punch thinks
this is a demand that the 'Legislature might possibly concede' and rejects the
notion of taxing certain individuals—notably surgeons and
physicians—on their income and property.
Medical Treatment, Pharmaceuticals, Crime, Gender, Railways,
Amusement, Religious Authority
Discusses an advertisement for
Dr
Battledore'sBattledore, Dr
(fl. 1863)
PU1/44/14/6 CloseView the register entry >> lozenge for remedying 'nervousness', suggesting the
possibility of the remedy being used by 'a nervous Paterfamilias' for
confronting garotters, or by 'the most timid of the softer sex' for travelling
on the London underground line (i.e. the
Metropolitan RailwayMetropolitan Railway Company
CloseView the register entry >>). Lamenting
the absence of promised testimonials to the efficacy of the lozenges, presents
two specimen testimonials, one from a theatrical manager, who has overcome his
cautiousness and is now attempting to build a giant auditorium, and from a 'C.
H. Sp—N' (a reference to
Charles H
SpurgeonSpurgeon, Charles Haddon
(1834–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>), who claims that the lozenges helped him treat 'sacred
matters in a sportive light'. Punch concludes by insisting that such
letters will help give the lozenge a 'world-wide reputation'.
Claims that the sea-horse, a species 'long denied' by naturalists, can be
found in numbers on English coasts 'having been tamed by the breakers on the
shore'.
Punch, 44 (1863), 153.
An Ingoldsby Legend in Prose (To CARDINAL
WISEMAN)
Praises
William G
ArmstrongArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Harper
TwelvetreesTwelvetrees, Harper
(1823–81)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> for their respective inventions: Armstrong for his
'great guns' whose 'large bolts and big bombs' can 'drive / In the sides' of
the best invading ships and defend England against 'Yankees, the Russian, and
French'; and Twelvetrees for his 'deadly paste' for destroying insects that
'invade our provisions'.
This long poem details the narrator's experiences at a spiritualist
séance. He begins by describing the 'still and solemn ring' of people
around a table, people who 'were not of the sceptics. / Who scorn on mysteries
fling', and notes the presence of the apparently reliable medium, whose name he
does not reveal through fear that the séance will be called 'a sell'.
Proceeds to describe the dim lighting in the room, without which 'the spirits
kept aloof', the participant's anticipation of spirits and their memories of
supernatural phenomena, and finally the sudden raps heard around the
séance room. The spirits confirm their existence and later, 'At the
medium's command', they manifest a moving white hand which participants
identify as belonging to different deceased relatives. Noting how an accordion
played and moved about under a table, the author insists that this was not a
'trickster's game', which the medium sought to prove by asking for the shutters
to be opened. Later, the medium is seen floating near the ceiling, a similar
feat having been performed by
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Some participants agree that the medium must have been floating and later note
how the 'spirits' let him fall back into his chair. The author then reflects on
his experiences, wondering if he should 'misdoubt my senses' because of the
absurdity of the phenomena, asking whether 'candid souls remain, / Still
crushed beneath the burden / Of bigot's reason chain', and insisting that what
is vouched for by
William HowittHowitt, William
(1792–1879)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
Samuel C HallHall, Samuel Carter
(1800–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and
Edward G E L B
LyttonLytton, Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-, 1st
Baron Lytton
(1803–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> 'Is surely proved for all—though
BREWSTERBrewster, Sir David
(1781–1868)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> be uncandid— /
And
FARADAYFaraday, Michael
(1791–1867)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> be small'. Concludes
by noting that despite the secrecy of these 'modern miracles' and their
witnesses 'The eye of faith is single; / The throat of faith is wide!'.
Discusses a 'popular naval ballad' sung in Philadelphia, the 'City of the
Society of Friends'. The ballad asks for 'a Navy of Iron' with which to
'conquer the world's broad ocean'. Less becoming of the 'Doves of Colombia' is
the ballad's boast, 'Then adieu to Britannia's power, / We'll crush it whenever
we please', and its claim that John Bull will be punished 'at his door' with a
'Navy of Iron' because he gloated in hope that the American union would
dissolve. The ballad ends with a boast about the unprecedented strength of the
American 'Iron Jacks' and the likelihood that they will sweep away the 'despots
of Europe'. Punch is baffled by the fact that the ballad anticipates
destroying the American ironclad
MerrimacMerrimac, ship CloseView the register entry >>
(suggesting that he is not a 'genuine Yankee'), and retaliates with its own
ballad. In this, Punch boasts that 'Our
ArmstrongsArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> will crack' the American 'Knavy
of Iron-clads' like 'fleas', reminds 'You Yankees' of the revolt that has 'come
home to your door', and agrees with the first ballad that it should sweep from
its seas and harbours all
AlabamasCSS Alabama CloseView the register entry >> and
Merrimac, the very ironclads with which America seeks to defeat
England.
Shows three members of the West Sussex '"Shipley Sparrow
Club"Shipley Sparrow Club, West Sussex CloseView the register entry >>, who received prizes' for killing thousands of sparrows and
other birds. The three figures, two men and a woman, are somewhat shabbily
dressed, one of the men carrying a large bird cage on his back, and the woman
carrying a box marked 'Salt'.
Following the Mayor of Sheffield
John Brown'sBrown, Sir John
(1816–96)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> invitation
to the lords of the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >> and 'a great
lot of scientific Swells' to see how the 'armour for our ships of war' is made
at his 'enormous'
Atlas WorksAtlas Works, Sheffield CloseView the register entry >>,
relates the observations of Mr Punch, who joined the party. On reaching the
works, Mr Punch saw 'several miles of vast buildings, filled with machinery
colossal enough to have delighted GARGANTUA', and came across
the other visitors to the works where 'Wheels were growling, fires were
roaring, chains were clanking, [and] beams were banging'. (164) Mr Punch then
asked
Edward A S Seymour (12th
Duke of Somerset)St Maur [formerly Seymour], Edward Adolphus, 12th Duke of Somerset
(1804–85)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to explain the processes involved, but soon saw
one of the burning hot slabs of iron being taken from the 'vast furnace' and
then hurried into the 'jaws of the rolling machine', a process causing a
'volcano' to erupt. This reminded Mr Punch of the way he had 'dealt with,
improved, and educated the public mind for the last twenty years'. Having
praised the mayor for the spectacle, Mr Punch heard John Brown explain how the
plates were trimmed and finished on 'self-acting tables, and then saw the
plates whisked away in railway carts to
Chatham
DockyardChatham Dockyard
CloseView the register entry >> and
Woolwich
DockyardRoyal Navy—Woolwich Dockyard
CloseView the register entry >>. He told Brown that he considered the cost to the nation
for these plates was a 'trifle', given that they would 'make war as impossible
as anything in this mad world can be'. He was then invited to see the
BessemerBessemer, Sir Henry
(1813–98)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
process. (165)
Argues that photographs should replace 'Pen and ink descriptions' on
passports because they 'give a far more faithful picture', which might 'more
easily be recognised than any written catalogue of one's features, age, and
height'. Points out that one disadvantage is that those men who forget to shave
would need to have themselves 're-photographed a dozen times a month'.
Observatories, Astronomy, Railways, Pollution, Light, Electricity,
Technology, Government
While noting a
House of LordsHouse of Lords
CloseView the register entry >>
committee's imminent consideration of new London railway bills, announces news
that astronomers at
Royal Observatory, GreenwichRoyal Observatory, Greenwich CloseView the register entry >>,
have warned that 'their telescopes will be shaken' by introducing railways into
Greenwich Park (167). Later notes a parliamentary conversazione at which
'Harbours of Refuge, Sewage, and Electric Light' were discussed.
Playing on the name of the medium
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, the
'"Home" circuit' is defined as 'A Spiritualist circle of folly and deception,
at which lies are rapped out by the dozen all round'.
Discusses an article in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
reporting the protest made to the government by inhabitants of Ludgate Hill
against the construction of a bridge by the
London, Dover, and Chatham
Railway CompanyLondon, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company
CloseView the register entry >> in front of
St Paul's
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral
CloseView the register entry >>. Urges that an act of
ParliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >> should be used to stop this
proposal. Observes: 'Parliament, [acting] in the interest of railway companies,
perpetually sanctions the violation of the most sacred rights of individuals
for the benefit of the public. It might just as well, and a great deal better,
gratify the public at the expense of a railway company'. Expects the bridge to
be an 'eyesore' and 'one of the most ridiculous wonders of the world'. Hopes
the government can teach the London, Dover, and Chatham Railway not
'surreptitiously to procure any Bill empowering them to perpetrate a monstrous
public nuisance'.
Announces the publication of the
First
Report of the Select Committee on Metropolitan Railway CommunicationFirst Report of the Select
Committee on Metropolitan Railway Communication: First Report of the
Select Committee of the House of Lords on Metropolitan Railway
Communication, House of Lords Parliamentary Papers, Session 1863 (500), 8,
1–3
CloseView the register entry >>
which supports the numerous railway bills for London. Ironically endorses the
'gigantic undertaking' of a 'Barnes, Hammersmith, and Kensington Line', arguing
that the railway will unite several prosperous and closely separated areas, and
will disturb the peace of Barnes Common, replace dull houses by 'lively
stuccoed villas', and lead to a bridge being built over the Thames, which will
further 'intercept' the view of London.
Noting the claim of astronomers that 'there may possibly be men in the
moon', reports that 'we were scarcely prepared for the astounding announcement
that three men were actually seen walking in the sun'. Insists that
John R HindHind, John Russell
(1823–95)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> should
have reported this before.
Insisting that 'a new Journal is one of the necessities of the age', the
'Proprietors of the Journal' announce the publication of 'The Sensation Times,
AND CHRONICLE OF EXCITEMENT', and proceed to puff the gruesome
topics to be covered in its pages. Amongst its 'objects' are 'Causing the Hair
to Stand on End' and 'Giving Shocks to the Nervous System', while it seeks to
improve its reportage of murdered victims with 'the aid of photography',
including such classes of 'sensational record' as 'Revolting Cruelty to
Animals', and having the best exponents of 'Arsenical Literature', including
'all Poison Cases'.
Presents information sent in by a correspondent describing his experiences
'training all sorts of animals'. Notes the difficulty of training and the
'untidy' habits of the 'Chicken-Hazard', but considers the dingo and wallaby
and other 'animals of the Bush' to be so easily educated that the wallaby has
been giving 'readings from
SHAKESPEAREShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>', reading
poetry, and also forging signatures.
Claims that 'A Railway Tunnel 2000 feet in circumference is to be erected on
the site of the Great Turnstile, Holborn' and that
Robert FitzroyFitzroy, Robert
(1805–65)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
'will give several Readings of the Barometer'.
Unable to determine the species of 'Round Robin', responds to one
correspondent's question by telling him that the 'Female Partridge' belongs to
the species 'Ma'-tridge'.
Hospitals, Patronage, Vaccination, Medical Treatment, Invention,
Commerce, Quackery
Notes the debate following
William E
Gladstone'sGladstone, William Ewart
(1809–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> budget speech, in which the Chancellor of the Exchequer
discussed the sorry state of charities and accused hospitals of being
'mismanaged'. Points out that the
St
Bartholomew's HospitalSt Bartholomew's Hospital
CloseView the register entry >> 'trustees eat [the cost of treating] 150
patients at one luxurious dinner' (198). Later notes a discussion of the
Vaccination Bill for Ireland, and suggests that 'Everybody is being vaccinated
just now'. Thinks that it is sufficiently fashionable that an enterprising
jeweller could make 'a Vaccination Bracelet, with a cow on it', an item that
would sell particularly well if it were 'electrified, or fumigated, or
magnetised, or blessed by the
PopePius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>, or quackified
in some way'. (199)
Quackery, Commerce, Medical Treatment, Vaccination, Disease, Health,
Human Development, Crime, Government
The letter-writer relates that he observed a 'large bill' in a shop selling
James Morison'sMorison, James
(1770–1840)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
'Quack Medicines' which asserted the 'FATAL CONSEQUENCES' of vaccination, and
which linked the supporters of vaccination with avaricious and evil medical
practitioners. The bill also listed the opponents of vaccination, who included
a
Dr ZimpleZimple, Dr
(fl. 1863)
PU1/44/20/5 CloseView the register entry >>, whom
the narrator suspects is a yokel hailing from a place whose inhabitants
believed that vaccination leads to 'horns sprouting on human heads'. Describes
how the shopkeeper took the narrator to be one such 'zimpleton' or rustic fool
and gave him a copy of the
HygeistHygeist
(1842–67)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>. Asks
whether the government will allow such shops to incite people to disobey the
law and, 'to the destruction or disfigurement of their unhappy children', use
Morison's pills instead of vaccination. Notes that this quack remedy will boost
the undertakers' trade, owing to the recent outbreak of small-pox.
Amusement, Display, Supernaturalism, Light, Instruments,
Class
Introducing himself as
John H Pepper'sPepper, John Henry
(1821–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
assistant, explains that this 'learned and scientific gentleman has permitted
his Ghost to appear at one of the suburban theatres' and expresses delight at
the fact that the illusion is terrifying audiences 'whose notions of the
supernatural are thereby realised to the full'. On this basis, he explains that
he visited the theatre in person to witness the audience's 'notions of the
supernatural'. (204) He then presents a report of the drama in the form of a
scene from the play itself. The drama reveals the vulgar behaviour of the
audience who consist of women noisily singing to their children and people who
do not appear to treat the ghostly performer with much respect. The narrator
denies that this is the proper way to treat a ghost and suggests that Pepper
should appear in a production of
Richard
Wagner'sWagner, (Wilhelm) Richard
(1813–83)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> opera The Flying Dutchman.
Identifies
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> as
the younger brother of 'Antonio', who allegedly inspired a character of the
same name and similar criminal characteristics in
William
Shakespeare'sShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>Tempest. Offers a spoof extract from Home's
autobiography (Home 1863Home, Daniel
Dunglas 1863. Incidents in My Life, London : Longman, Green,
Longman, Roberts & Green
CloseView the register entry >>) which
contains many references to people possessing the same names as those in
Shakespeare's play. The author describes his early passion for conjuring, his
apprenticeship to 'an amiable Magician', his learning of card tricks, his
creation of much 'floating capital' out of his ability to be 'wafted through
the atmosphere by unseen agencies, and his appearance as a ghost to the 'late
Duke of Milan'.
Includes the news that
Roderick I
MurchisonMurchison, Sir Roderick Impey, 1st Baronet
(1792–1871)
DSBODNB CloseView the register entry >> is to 'geologically survey himself in the looking glass:
he has been heard to express a wish that his nose was strata [i.e.
straighter]'. States that medical men report there to be many 'cases of cigars'
in London. Reports the delayed opening of the 'Underground Railway over the
Straits of Dover', the discontinuation of 'Salmon Ladders' owing to the
salmon's relationship with a minnow, and the release of animals from the
Zoological Society
GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >> during the annual carnival in Regent's Park.
War, Education, Philosophy, Human Development, Mathematics
Discusses news that the
Horse GuardsArmy—Commander-in-Chief's Office (Horse Guards)
CloseView the register entry >> have
ruled that candidates for direct commissions in the
ArmyArmy
CloseView the register entry >> must pass examinations in a
range of academic subjects, including mathematics and the sciences. Warns,
however, that military courage and intellectual acumen are not identical,
suggesting that 'the stupider man will be the braver'. Goes on to warn 'your
Honours' that while a candidate who has studied the sciences 'has learned to
forecast the effects of causes', he should not be 'too keenly alive' to such
causes, since this knowledge might check 'intrepidity in the cannon's mouth'.
Suggests the need to maintain 'a Blockheads' Brigade, and a large Division of
Dunces'.
Education, Light, Lecturing, Science Communication
Introduces a spoof lecture given to a class of rowdy school children by
'Professor Petgoose' on 'the THEORIES OF LIGHT'. The
apparently verbatim transcript of what was said during the lecture reveals the
lecturer's repeated attempts to be heard above the noice of his class, his
subjection to peas fired from peashooters, and his troubled attempts to show
that light makes distinct everything in reach of its rays.
Discusses a report in the
Austrian
GazetteAustrian Gazette
(cited 1863)
PU1/44/21/5 CloseView the register entry >> of a case of small-pox communicated by some bank-notes
owned by a female victim of the disease. Believes this confirms perceptions of
the 'unhealthy condition' of the Austrian 'financial system' and fears about
Austrian bank-notes.
Following news of a proposal to introduce 'homeopathic chairs' into Belgian
universities, predicts the minute size of such chairs and points out that
'Everything else would have to be reduced in equal proportion' until the wisdom
acquired at the universities becomes so small that nobody will want it. Adds
that many of the author's 'medical friends' will be pleased to hear that the
'chairs' (proposals) were not 'carried'.
Given that a 'child's mind is nothing better than a sheet of paper', then
'its address in after-life will depend entirely upon the way in which you
direct it'.
Noting the way in which people are now signing their letters by sticking
tiny photographs of themselves onto the paper, suggests that letters should be
accompanied by photographs of people indicating their frame of mind when
writing. Presents examples of male writers showing their states of apology,
condolence, and anger.
Archaeology, Botany, Religious Authority, Human Development,
Descent
Includes news that 'an eminent Housebreaker' has found some coins that would
interest archaeologists, that 'The Indian Overland Root will be shown at the
next Botanical Fête', and that
Charles H
SpurgeonSpurgeon, Charles Haddon
(1834–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> will lecture for three consecutive hours, in order to prove
that the human jaw is 'just as great now-a-days as the one found at Abbeville,
supposed to be pre-Adamite'.
Shows an old lady and other members of her family about to step into a
four-wheel cab. The old lady expresses her fears about smallpox (a reference to
claims that cabs carried such disease), but the 'Cabby' reassures her that he
had the rear wheel of the cab vaccinated.
Begins by referring the reader to various 'letters, papers, inquiries,
and comptes-rendus' by
Jean L A de Quatrefages de
BréauQuatrefages de Bréau,
Jean-Louis-Armand de
(1810–92)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>,
Henri
Milne-EdwardsMilne-Edwards, Henri
(1800–85)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>,
Hugh FalconerFalconer, Hugh
(1808–65)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>,
Joseph
PrestwichPrestwich, Sir Joseph
(1812–96)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, and
William B
CarpenterCarpenter, William Benjamin
(1813–85)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>. The article refers to recent claims that evidence of the
jaw (containing a single tooth) of an antediluvian man had been found in a
gravel pit at Moulin-Quignon (Abbeville). The poem upholds the jawbone as the
most 'famous' since 'that famed jaw-bone' on which Sampson 'hung an ass's head'
(a reference to Judges 15:15), but one that 'wagged beside the
Mastodon'. Considers the types of meat that it must have consumed and wonders
if it 'Chattered or ached' 'in Glacial time' or when the 'Welsh antediluvians
friz / Amidst perennial snows'. Wonders what the owner of the jaw could have
revealed about his landscape, including the 'things he ate', 'How he went
clad', and the 'queer molluscs Pleiocene, / Or huge Crustaceans Meiocene'.
Proceeds to note how the jaw has baffled the 'calculating mind' and geologists
'can still bid [the jaw] fall / To doubt about its drift', but that even if two
jaws had been found and could speak, it would show 'how little 'tis we know, /
In spite of all that's bragged'. Anticipates how the jaw might 'settle'
'controversies' and give both
Thomas H
HuxleyHuxley, Thomas Henry
(1825–95)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> and
Richard OwenOwen, Richard
(1804–92)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> 'a
smashing'. The jaw of 'homo primogenitus', in Punch's opinion, is
'strong' in 'wisdom' despite its 'golden' silence, but it 'can'st not even wag'
its 'authenticity' and may be a 'bit of pseudo-anthropology, / Made [...] to
sell'. (224) Explains this cynicism by appealing to the 'wide [...] imposition'
and food adulteration of the day that is so unsatisfactory that 'We've taken to
forging man!'. Accordingly, surmises that the jaw might be a 'recent bone' from
a 'pauper's grave', but nonetheless reflects on its ability to 'raise
quarrels'. (225)
The introduction explains that
Glimpses into PetlandWood, John George
1863. Glimpses into Petland, London: Bell & Daldy
CloseView the register entry >> has
'put the little pets into a great passion' because it appears to have
misrepresented them. Noting the 'numerous letters' received from irate pets,
Punch publishes one from Tabitha Poosey, a 'Tabby' from 'Petland', who
accuses
John G WoodWood, John George
(1827–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> of not
being able to 'interpret our language', and objects to being called such
ridiculous names as 'Tiddlemus'. She also denies claims that 'while we are
being stroked we suddenly put out our claws and scratch our best
friend'—because they expect the same 'pleasurable sensation' to result
when they scratch humans—and insists that cats live in a false state of
harmony with other pets.
The subtitle explains that the song was sung at a meeting of the
Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical Society
CloseView the register entry >>
'when it was announced that "the Nile was Settled"'. The song opens by
hailing
John H SpekeSpeke, John Hanning
(1827–64)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
James A GrantGrant, James Augustus
(1827–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
whose 'trophy' of the 'Head of the Nile [...] Brightens the name of our Tight
Little Isle', and who communicated 'what the Ages have thirsted to know' to
Roderick I
MurchisonMurchison, Sir Roderick Impey, 1st Baronet
(1792–1871)
DSBODNB CloseView the register entry >> and the society. Describes the harsh conditions of their
journey, including their 'Perilous tracks' 'Far in the desert-sand', and notes
Murchison's reminder that the explorer's 'Line's the Equator'—a reference
to the equatorial line on which the source of the Nile (Lake Nyanza) is
situated. Goes on to boast about the explorers' observations of Uganda and
Kragwè, and the fact that
Edward
StanfordStanford, Edward
(1827–1904)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> will have to put the explorers' names on his maps. Ends by
calling on the 'buffers' of the society to praise the 'Lake on the Line' and by
claiming a lasting reputation for the explorers.
Shows Britannia in the thick of a forest who, on pulling back some branches,
discovers 'the source of the Nile'. The latter turns out to be a rather
surprised looking Pharoah who, while smoking a pipe, sits near an upturned urn
out of which pours a stream of water. Britannia exclaims, 'Aha, Mr. Nilus! So
I've found you at last!'.
Discusses an advertisement by an 'optician of Hebrew name' for a 'Refractory
Telescope' that can enable the observer to see such objects as 'Double Stars'
and 'the face of a sheep [...] four miles'. Expresses confidence in the value
of the instrument, since '"a Jew's eye" was always a phrase for a valuable
article, and à fortiori a Jew's telescope must be still better
than his eye'. However, questions some of the claimed uses of the instrument.
For example, asks if we should pay five pounds to see a double star when we can
see 'ALBONI' (this is probably the Italian singer
Mariette
AlboniAlboni, Marietta
(1826–94)
Blom 1956 CloseView the register entry >>), and 'hear her too, for a guinea'.
Noting the 'Great mortality' that 'has lately prevailed among the cattle in
the mews and suburbs of London', claims that the inquest into the death of one
cow revealed that it had died from 'continual irritation' of the nervous system
caused by exposure to Italian organ-grinders.
Discusses remarks made to the
House of
CommonsHouse of Commons
CloseView the register entry >> by the First Commissioner of Works,
William F
CowperCowper, William Francis, 1st Baron Mount-Temple
(1811–88)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, who explained how, thanks to the efforts of
Goldsworthy
GurneyGurney, Sir Goldsworthy
(1793–1875)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, the air inside the House is purer—because it is washed
in a stream of water—and cooler than the air outside. Reflects on the
foul air of London and wonders why Gurney's air purification process is 'not
more practised', pointing out that theatres would benefit from this treatment.
Questioning whether the scheme 'will wash', hopes Gurney will not prove 'a
second Guy Faux' (a reference to
Anon, 'The Ventilating Guy Faux', Punch, 11 (1846), 30) and blow up
ParliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >>. On this basis, suggests that
the 'fittest man' to check the air in parliament's cellars would be
George B AiryAiry, Sir George Biddell
(1801–92)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Written from the perspective of a hybrid deity, taking its name from both
the Greek and Roman gods of the sun, the narrator criticises the tiring uses to
which he has been put by the photographic pioneers,
William H F
TalbotTalbot, William Henry Fox
(1800–77)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> and
Louis J M
DaguerreDaguerre, Louis Jacques Mandé
(1789–1851)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>. Complains that, owing to the 'Portrait Painting',
'positives and negatives, collodion and albumen' and the number of professional
photographic firms, he has not had a moment to himself. Noting his former
status as 'Patron of the fine Arts', resents the grubby, day-long and
humiliating practices of photography, and the fact that he can no longer choose
his sitters and has to put up with nobodies: hence he grumbles that the world
seems to be putting the 'carte before the ass'. Concludes by lamenting
the fact that, thanks to photography, he has to rob people's 'privacy' and
their 'joys and griefs'.
Shows two photographers standing underneath large shrouds, which cover all
but their legs and the insect-like legs of the tripod supporting the camera.
The caption plays up the similarity of the figures to strange insects, stating
the 'Front and Back view of a very curious Animal that was seen going about
loose the other day. It has been named by Dr. Gunther [probably
Albert C L G
GüntherGünther, Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf
(1830–1914)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>] "Elephans Photographicus"'.
Discussing the obligations to which
Prince EdwardEdward VII, King of Great Britain and Ireland and
of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, Emperor of India
(1841–1910)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
pledged on becoming a member of the
Merchant Taylors' CompanyMerchant Taylors' Company
CloseView the register entry >>, notes
that the prince is only allowed to take into service 'apprentices duly bound,
without fraud or male engine'. Suspects that '"Male engine" may be presumed to
mean "evil contrivances"; for engines have no genders, unless screws may be
called genders'.
Discusses news of an invention, in America, of 'washable bank-notes' covered
with india-rubber. Punch suggests that this might 'tend to an expansion
of their credit' and furnish 'a very tempting means of wiping off their
liabilities'—a reference to the huge debt incurred during the American
Civil War.
A response to the trial of
Col.
CrawleyCrawley, Col
(fl. 1863)
PU1/44/25/5 CloseView the register entry >>, who was charged with cruelty towards
Sgt.-Maj. John
LilleyLilley, Sgt.-Maj. John
(fl. 1863)
PU1/44/25/5 CloseView the register entry >>—behaviour which allegedly led to the death of the
latter. This poem likens Crawley to a snake that provokes feelings of disgust.
He is represented as 'some slow, slimy, cold, creeping thing, / Big with venom,
to wrath slowly wrought', and an 'adder coiled under the stone' with a
'wriggling circuitous coil'. It warns of Crawley's 'quick double tongue in its
head, / The gleam of its cold cruel eye, / The foul fetid slave o' spread / The
victim 'twill crush by-and-by'.
Notes the discussion at the
Geological
SocietyGeological Society of London
CloseView the register entry >> concerning a geological dish consisting of 'a crust
overlying inferior strata and deposits containing reptiles of the Batrachian
order'—the 'Toad-in-the Conglomerate'.
Shows
Henry J Temple (3rd
Viscount Palmerston)Temple, Henry John, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
(1784–1865)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> who, dressed in a plasterer's outfit and
sitting on some trestles, applies plaster to a small scale model of the
International ExhibitionInternational Exhibition (1862), London CloseView the register entry >>.
Closer inspection reveals that the plaster comes from a pile labelled
'£484,000', a reference to the amount of public money needed to buy the
exhibition building. The caption has Palmerston boasting: 'Lor Bless you! A
little bit o' stucco will make it perfect'.