ALSOP, GEORGE, born 1638. When twenty years old he sailed to Maryland, and for four years laboured as a servant. At the restoration of King Charles he, a warm Royalist, returned to England, and whether he returned to America or not is uncertain. He published _A Character of the Province of Maryland_, a volume of prose and verse, absurdly humorous from beginning to end. ALSOP, RICHARD (1761-1815). Founder of a society of literary-inclined individuals known as the “Hartford Wits.” Alsop was the chief writer of the _Echo_, a series of burlesque essays published between 1791 and 1795. He also published _The Enchanted Lake of Fairy Morgana_, _Monody on the Death of Washington_, _The Natural and Civil History of Chili_, and edited the _Captivity and Adventures of J. R. Jewett among the Savages of Nootka Sound_. He was an accomplished linguist. AMES, NATHANIEL (1708-1764), commenced publishing in 1725 a yearly calendar—the great-grandfather of the present weekly paper. He was a shrewd wit, and his almanac, which obtained marked popularity, was full of quaint and wise sayings. ANDERSON, MRS. ARESTINE (1855). A writer of humorous newspaper verse. Contributor to many of the humorous papers in America. ANDRÉ, MAJOR JOHN (1751-1780). This unfortunate soldier wrote a humorous piece entitled “The Cow Chase,” which, strangely enough, appeared in _Rivington’s Royal Gazette_ the same day that the author was captured. ARNOLD, GEORGE (1834-1865). Author of _McArone Papers_, _The Jolly Old Pedagogue, and other Poems_. AUSTIN, WILLIAM (1778-1841). His “Peter Rugg, the Missing Man,” published in the _New England Galaxy_, made a great hit, and his “Letters from London” are full of quiet humour and quaint information. He was also the author of “Oration on the Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker’s Hill,” and “Essay on the Human Character of Jesus Christ.” BAGBY, GEORGE WILLIAM (1828-1883). Took his degree in medicine, adopted journalism as a profession, was appointed (1870) state librarian for Virginia. His humorous articles were published under the pen-name “Mozis Addums,” and after his death his sketches were collected and published by Mrs. Bagby in three volumes. BAILEY, JAMES MONTGOMERY, born 1841. In 1873 and 1874 America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, was laughing at the “Danbury News-Man’s” funny articles. His work was to be found copied in every paper in the land, and the _Danbury News_, which up to that time had claimed only local attention, soon rose in circulation, until it had readers in every state in the Union. Mr. Bailey, whose laughable sketches made this sensation, began life as a carpenter, served in the ranks during the war, and then entered journalism. His humorous sketches have been collected and published. _Life in Danbury_ and _England from a Back Window_ are the best compilations.