Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, Complete — John Shaqi
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, CompleteVarious
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, Complete
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
HUMES TERMINOLOGY. Hume is so annoyed at his late defeat at Leeds, that
he vows he will never make use of the word Tory again as long as he
lives. Indeed, he proposes to expunge the term from the English
language, and to substitute that which is applied to, his own party. In
writing to a friend, that after the inflammatory character of the
oratory of the Carlton Club, it is quite supererogatory for me to state
(it being notorious) that all conciliatory measures will be rendered
nugatory, he thus expressed himself:After the inflammawhig character
of the orawhig of the nominees of the Carlton Club, it is quite
supererogawhig for me to state (it being nowhigous) that all
conciliawhig measures will be rendered nugawhig.
NATIVE SWALLOWS. A correspondent to one of the daily papers has
remarked, that there is an almost total absence of swallows this summer
in England. Had the writer been present at some of the election dinners
lately, he must have confessed that a greater number of active swallows
has rarely been observed congregated in any one year.
LORD MELBOURNE TO PUNCH. My dear PUNCH,Seeing in the Court Circular
of the Morning Herald an account of a General Goblet as one of the
guests of her Majesty, I beg to state, that till I saw that
announcement, I was not aware of any other general gobble it than myself
at the Palace.
Yours, truly, MELBOURN
[pg 2] A RAILROAD NOVEL DEAR PUNCH,I was much amused the other day, on
taking my seat in the Birmingham Railway train, to observe a
sentimental-looking young gentleman, who was sitting opposite to me,
deliberately draw from his travelling-bag three volumes of what appeared
to me a new novel of the full regulation size, and with intense interest
commence the first volume at the title-page. At the same instant the
last bell rang, and away started our train, whizz, bang, like a flash of
lightning through a butter-firkin. I endeavoured to catch a glimpse of
some familiar places as we passed, but the attempt was altogether
useless. Harrow-on-the-Hill, as we shot by it, seemed to be driving
pell-mell up to town, followed by Boxmoor, Tring, and AylesburyI missed
Wolverton and Weedon while taking a pinch of snufflost Rugby and
Coventry before I had done sneezing, and I had scarcely time to say,
God bless us, till I found we had reached Birmingham. Whereupon I
began to calculate the trifling progress my reading companion could have
made in his book during our rapid journey, and to devise plans for the
gratification of persons similarly situated as my fellow-traveller.
Why, thought I, should literature alone lag in the age of steam? Is
there no way by which a man could be made to swallow Scott or bolt
Bulwer, in as short a time as it now takes him to read an auction bill?
Suddenly a happy thought struck me: it was to write a novel, in which
only the actual spirit of the narration should be retained, rejecting
all expletives, flourishes, and ornamental figures of speech; to be
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