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to use Mr. Blanchard's own words, we must mention Birket Foster, Alfred Crowquill, Lee, Hamerton, John Gilbert, William Harvey, and Kenny Meadows, the last of whom illustrated one of Jerrold's earliest series,
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Punch's Letters to His Son. _Punch's Almanac_ for 1841 was concocted for the greater part by Dr. Maginn, who was then in the Fleet Prison, where Thackeray has drawn him, in the character of Captain Shandon, writing the famous prospectus for the _Pall Mall Gazette_. The earliest hits of _Punch_ were Douglas Jerrold's articles signed
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J. and Gilbert à Beckett's
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Adventures of Mr. Briefless. In October, 1841, Mr. W.H. Wills, afterwards working editor of _Household Words_ and _All the Year Round_, commenced
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Punch's Guide to the Watering-Places. In January, 1842, Albert Smith commenced his lively
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Physiology of London Evening Parties, which were illustrated by Newman; and he wrote the
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Physiology of the London Idler, which Leech illustrated. In the third volume, Jerrold commenced
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Punch's Letters to His Son; and in the fourth volume, his
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Story of a Feather; Albert Smith's
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Side-Scenes of Society carried on the social dissections of the comic physiologist, and à Beckett began his
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Heathen Mythology, and created the character of
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Jenkins, the supposed fashionable correspondent of the _Morning Post_. _Punch_ had begun his career by ridiculing Lord Melbourne; he now attacked Brougham, for his temporary subservience to Wellington; and Sir James Graham came also in for a share of the rod; and the _Morning Herald_ and _Standard_ were christened
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Mrs. Gamp and
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Mrs. Harris, as old-fogyish opponents of Peel and the Free-Traders. À Beckett's
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Comic Blackstone proved a great hit, from its daring originality; and incessant jokes were squibbed off on Lord John Russell, Prince Albert (for his military tailoring), Mr. Silk Buckingham and Lord William Lennox, Mr. Samuel Carter Hall and Mr. Harrison Ainsworth. Tennyson once, and once only, wrote for _Punch_, a reply to Lord Lytton (then Mr. Bulwer), who had coarsely attacked him in his
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New Timon,
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A quaint farrago of absurd conceits, Out-babying Wordsworth and out-glittering Keats.
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A Timon you? Nay, nay, for shame! It looks too arrogant a jest-- That fierce old man--to take his name, You bandbox! Off, and let him rest.
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Jeames's Diary, and became a regular contributor. Gilbert à Beckett was now beginning his
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Comic History of England and Douglas Jerrold his inimitable
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Caudle Lectures. Thomas Hood occasionally contributed, but his immortal
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Song of the Shirt was his _chef-d'oeuvre_. Coventry Patmore contributed once to _Punch_; his verses denounced General Pellisier and his cruelty at the caves of Dahra. Laman Blanchard occasionally wrote; his best poem was one on the marriage and temporary retirement of charming Mrs. Nisbett. In 1846 Thackeray's
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Snobs of England was highly successful. Richard Doyle's
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Manners and Customs of ye English brought _Punch_ much increase. The present cover of _Punch_ is by Doyle, who, being a zealous Roman Catholic, eventually left _Punch_ when it began to ridicule the Pope and condemn Papal aggression. _Punch_ in his time has had his raps, but not many and not hard ones. Poor Angus B. Reach (whose mind went early in life), with Albert Smith and Shirley Brooks, ridiculed _Punch_ in the _Man in the Moon_, and in 1847 the Poet Bunn--
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Hot, cross Bunn --provoked at incessant attacks on his operatic verses, hired a man of letters to write
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A Word with _Punch_ and a few smart personalities soon silenced the jester.
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Towards 1848, says Mr. Blanchard,
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Douglas Jerrold, then writing plays and editing a magazine, began to write less for _Punch_.