fun-such as it was. Seymour's "Cockney Sportsmen," and Cruik shank's wider (yet not extensive) range of subjects, were then the best things extant. How stands the case now? Let "Puncn's" twenty-nine volumes, with their ample store of pictorial mirth or Leech's creating, so kindly, so honest, so pleasant and graceful, an. swer. Contrast their blameless wit and humor with the equivoque and foul double entendre of French drawings, and think of the difference involuntarily suggested between the social atmospheres of Paris and London.

Leech is a good-looking fellow, approaching the age of forty, and not unlike one of his own handsome "swells" in personal appear. ance. The Royal Academy Exhibition of 1855 contained his por trait, painted by Millais, the chief of the pie-Raphaelite artists, who is said to be his friend. As may be gathered from his many sport ing sketches, Leech is fond of horses, and piques himself on "knowing the points" of a good animal. (We may mention, by-the-by, that Mr. "Briggs" of equestrian celebrity had his original on the Stock Exchange.) He in summer travels considerably, forwarding his sketches to the "Punch" office, generally penciling the accom panying words on the wood-block. In one of the past volumes, dating some eight or ten years back, he has introduced himself in a cut designated "our artist during the hot weather," wherein he appears with his coat off, reclining upon a sofa, and informing a pretty servant-girl who enters the room, that "he is busy." Quizzical portraits of the writers of " Punch" have been introduced in its pages. In Jerrold's "Capsicum House" (vol. XII.), the author's portrait, burlosqued into the figure of "Punch," occurs more than once. And 8 double-pago cut, entitled "Mr. Punch's Fancy Ball," in the early part of the same volume, comprises sketches of the then entire corps of contributors, artistic and literary. They are drawn as forming the orchestra, Lemon conducting, Jerrold belaboring a big drum, Thackeray playing on the flute, Leech the violin, and others extract ing harmony from divers musical instruments. Again they appear at a later date, as a number of boys at play, in an illustration at the commencement of Vol. XXVII.

"Punch's" office is at 85 Fleet-street. The engraving, printing, and stereotyping is performed at Lombard-street, Whitefriars, where its proprietors have extensive premises. See pp. 56, 57, 321, 322, 324, 325, 327, 328, 330, 331, 333, 334, 336, 338, 339, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, 447, 449, 450, 451, 453, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 478, 480, 485, 492 496, 497, 498, 499, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 630, 631, 632, 633, 631 635, 636, 337, 538, 640, 643, 644.

REJECTED ADDRESSES," by James and Horace Smith, published in London, October, 1812. The most successful jeu d'esprit of modern times, having survived the occasion that suggested it for nearly half a century, and still being highly popular. It has run through twenty editions in England, and three in America. The opening of Drury-lane theater in 1802, after having been burned and rebuilt, and the offering of a prize of fifty pounds by the manager for the best opening address, were the circumstances which sug gested the production of the "Rejected Addresses." The idea of the work was suddenly conceived, and it was executed in six weeks. In the preface to the eighteenth London edition the authors give an interesting statement of the difficulties they encoun tered in getting the volume published:

"Urged forward by our hurry, and trusting to chance, two very bad coadjutors in any enterprise, we at length congratulated ourselves on having completed our task in time to have it printed and published by the opening of the theater. But, alas! our difficulties, so far from being surmounted, seemed only to be beginning. Strangers to the arcana of the bookseller's trade, and unacquainted with their almost invincible objection to single volumes of low price, especially when tendered by writers who have acquired no previous name, we little anticipated that they would refuse to publish our 'Rejected Addresses,' even although we asked nothing for the copyright. Such, however, proved to be the case. Our manuscript was perused and returned to us by several of the most eminent publishers. Well do we remember betaking ourselves to one of the craft in Bond-street, whom we found in a back parlor, with his gouty leg propped upon a cushion, in spite of which warning he diluted his luncheon with frequent glasses of Madeira. 'What have you already written?' was his first question, and interrogatory to which we had been subjected in almost every instance. 'Nothing by which we can be known.' 'Then I am afraid to undertake the publication.' We presumed timidly to suggest that every writer must have a beginning, and that to refuse to publish for him until he had acquired a name, was to imitate the sapient mother who cautioned her su against going into the water until he could swim. 'An old joke a regular Joe!' exclaimed our companion, tossing off another bumper. 'Still older than Joe Miller,' was our reply; 'for, if wa mistake not, it is the very first anecdote in the facetiæ of Hierocles.' 'Ha, sirs!' resumed the bibliopolist, 'you are learned, are you? do, hohl-Well, leave your manuscript with me; I will look it over to-night, and give you an answer to-morrow.' Punctual as the clock we presented ourselves at his door on the following morning. when our papers were returned to us with the observation-'These rifles are really not deficient in smartness; they are well, vastly

wel for beginners; but they will never do-never. They would not pay for advertising, and without it I should not sell fifty copies.

"This was discouraging enough. If the most experienced publishers feared to be out of pocket by the work, it was manifest à fortiori, that its writers ran a risk of being still more heavy losers, should they undertake the publication on their own account. We had no objection to raise a laugh at the expense of others; but to do it at our own cost, uncertain as we were to what extent we might be involved, had never entered into our contemplation

In

this dilemma, our 'Addresses,' now in every sense rejected, might probably have never seen the light, had not some good angel whis pered us to betake ourselves to Mr. John Miller, a dramatic publisher, then residing in Bow-street, Covent Garden. No sooner had this gentleman looked over our manuscript, than he immedi ately offered to take upon himself all the risk of publication, and to give us half the profits, should there be any; a liberal proposition, with which we gladly closed. So rapid and decided was its success, at which none were more unfeignedly astonished than its authors, that Mr. Miller advised us to collect some 'Imitations of Horace,' which had appeared anonymously in the 'Monthly Mirror,' ffering to publish them upon the same terms. We did so accordingly; and as new editions of the 'Rejected Addresses' were called for in quick succession, we were shortly enabled to sell our half copyright in the two works to Mr. Miller, for one thousand pounds! We have entered into this unimportant detail, not to gratify any vanity of our own, but to encourage such literary beginners as may be placed in similar circumstances; as well as to impress upon publishers the propriety of giving more consideration to the possible inerit of the works submitted to them, than to the mere magic of a name."

The authors add, that not one of the poets whom they “auda ciously burlesqued," took offense at the ludicrous imitation of their style. From "Sir Walter Scott," they observe, "we received favon and notice, both public and private, which it will be difficult t forget, because we had not the smallest claim upon his kindness 'I certainly must have written this myself!' said that fine tem pered man to one of the authors, pointing to the description of the Fire, although I forgot upon what occasion.' Lydia White, a lit erary lady, who was prone to feed the lions of the day, invited on of us to dinner; but, recollecting afterward that William Spence formed one of the party, wrote to the latter to put him off; telling aim that a man was to be at her table whom he 'would not like to meet.' 'Pray who is this whom I should not like to meet ?' in quired the poet. 'Ol' answered the lady, 'one of those men whe have made that shameful attack upon you!' 'The very inan "po▸

eart. I should like to know!' rejoined the lively and careless bar i. The two individuals accordingly met, and have continued fast friends ever since. Lord Byron, too, wrote thus to Mr. Murray from Italy: 'Tell him we forgive him, were he twenty times our satirist.'

"It may not be amiss to notice, in this place, one criticism of a Leicester clergyman, which may be pronounced unique: 'I do not see why they should have been rejected,' observed the matter-offact annotator; 'I think some of them very good!' Upon the whole, few have been the instances, in the acrimonious history of literature, where a malicious pleasantry like the 'Rejected Ad. dresses'-which the parties ridiculed might well consider more annoying than a direct satire-instead of being met by querulous bitterness or petulant retaliation, has procured for its authors the acquaintance, or conciliated the good-will, of those whom they had the most audaciously burlesqued."

James Smith died in London on the 29th of December, 1836, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. His brother survived him many years. Both were admired and ever-welcome members of the best society of London. See pp. 393, 396, 402, 408,

ROGERS, SAMUEL-The English poet and banker, recently deceased. Author of a "pretty poem," entitled, "The Pleasures of Memory." In his old age, he was noted for the bitter wit of his conversation. See p. 566.

AXE, JOHN G-Editor of the "Burlington Gazette," and Wandering Minstrel. The witty poems of Mr. Saxe are somewhat in the manner of Hood. To be fully appreciated they must be heard, as they roll in sonorous volumes, from his own lips. His collected poems were published a few years ago by Ticknor & Fields, and have already reached a ninth edition. See pp. 68, 69, 343, 519, 577, 578.

COTT, SIR WALTER-Born 1771; died, 1832. Sir Walter Scott, though he excelled all his cotemporaries in the humorous delinea tion of character, wrote little humorous verse. The two pieces published in this volume are so excellent that one is surprised to find no more of the same description in his writings. See pp 115,

559.

SHERIDAN, DR. THOMAS-Noted for being an intimate friend of Dean Swift, and the grandfather of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Born in 1684; died in 1738. He was an eccentric, witty, somewhat learned, Dublin schoclmaster. He published some sermons

and a translation of Persius; acquired great celebrity as a teacher; but through the imprudence that distinguished the family, closed his life in poverty. We may infer from the few specimens of his facetious writings that have been preserved that he was one of the wittiest of a nation of wits. One or two of his epigrams are exquisitely fine. See pp. 212, 545.

SHERIDAN, RICHARD BRINSLEY-Author of the "Rivals," and the "School for Scandal." Born at Dublin in 1751; died, 1816 Sheridan must have written more humorous poetry than we have Deen able to discover. It is probable that most of his epigrams and verified repartees have either not been preserved, or have escaped our search. Moore, in his "Life of Sheridan," gives speci mens of his satirical verses, but only a few, and but one of striking excellence. See pp. 281, 559.

AMITH, HORACE-See "Rejected Addresses."

SMITH, JAMES-See "Rejected Addresses."

SMITH, REV. SYDNEY-The jovial prebendary of St. Paul's, the wittiest Englishman that ever lived; died in 1845. Except the "Recipe for Salad," and an epigram, we have found no comi verses by him. He "leaked another way." See pp. 40, 566.

SOUTHEY, ROBERT-The English poet and man of letters; boru in 1774. Southey wrote a great deal of humorous verse, much of which is ingenious and fluent. He was amazingly dexterous in the use of words, and excelled all his cotemporaries, except Byron and Barham, in the art of rhyming. See pp. 26, 28, 105, 250, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392.

SWIFT, JONATHAN-Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin. Born 1667; died, 1739. It were superfluous to speak of the career or abilities of this great but most unhappy man, who unquestionably ranks highest amid the brilliant names of that brilliant epoch. His work a speak for him, and will to all time. Of his poetical writings it may be said that though only surpassed in wit and humor by his more universally known prose, they are infinitely nastier than any thing else in the English language. They have, however, the negative virtue of being nowise licentious or demoralizing-or at least no more so than is inseparable from the choice of obscene and repul sive subjects. Nearly all his unobjectionable comic verses may be found in this volume. See pp. 204, 205, 206, 358, 359, 360, 365 639, 540, 541, 542, 543, 544, 585, 586, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656 65', 658, 659, (60, 661, 662