"How well I remember my first group of 'Young Men,'" pursued _Mr. Punch_, musingly. "There was swift and scathing DOUGLAS JERROLD, with his tossed and tangled mane of grey hair. GILBERT ABBOTT À BECKETT, too, the whimsically witty, the drolly satirical, the comically caustic. HENRY MAYHEW, of course, and, a little later, his brother HORACE, the simple, lovable 'PONNY.' HENNING, NEWMAN and BRINE, were my earliest Artists. HENNING drew the first Cartoon, whilst NEWMAN and BRINE, and, later, HINE, between them, were responsible for most of the smaller cuts, head-and-tail-pieces, pictorial puns, and sketchy silhouettes, wherewith _Punch's_ early pages abounded. "In the fourth Number of _Punch_, published on August 7th, 1841, first appeared the soon-to-be-famous signature of 'JOHN LEECH.'" "Ah! JOHN LEECH," cried the attentive ANNO DOMINI. "A name to conjure with! How did that 'Star swim into your ken'?" "There was a certain clever, scholarly, and genial gentleman," responded _Mr. Punch_, "who had lately published, under the pseudonym of 'PAUL PRENDERGAST,' an extremely funny _Comic Latin Grammar_. 'PAUL PRENDERGAST' was, in reality, Mr. PERCIVAL LEIGH, originally a medical gentleman, the well-beloved 'Professor' of later _Punch_ days. The _Comic Latin Grammar_ had been admirably illustrated by a personal friend, and fellow-student, of LEIGH's named LEECH. The services of _both_ of the contributors to the _Comic Latin Grammar_ were soon enlisted in my interests. "Another of LEECH's medical student friends was ALBERT SMITH, and he before long was penning his 'Physiology of London Evening Parties' (illustrated by PHIZ--HALBOT KNIGHT BROWNE--NEWMAN, and others) for my pages. KENNY MEADOWS, WATTS PHILLIPS, ALFRED 'CROW-QUILL' (FORRESTER), JOHN GILBERT, and others, drew also for the young Journal, the printing of which had been taken over by the Whitefriars firm of BRADBURY AND EVANS, with whom as proprietors and fast friends, _Punch_ has ever since been happily associated. "As early as my Fourth Volume," pursued _Mr. Punch_, "it became obvious that, in the person of 'Our Fat Contributor,' a certain 'MICHAEL ANGELO TITMARSH' was writing and drawing for _Punch_. (_Continued on Page_ 4.) * * * * * FAC-SIMILE OF FIRST PAGE OF "PUNCH." PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. _FOR THE WEEK ENDING JULY 17, 1841._ * * * * * THE MORAL OF PUNCH. * * * * *