,,george ,,cruikshank   ,by ,william    
,makepeace ,thackeray    99 ,reprinted  
from the ,westminster ,review for ,june1
 #ahdj4 7,no #ff47   ,accusations of    
ingratitude1 and just accusations no    
doubt1 are made against every inhabitant
 of this wicked world1 and the fact is1 
that a man who is ceaselessly engaged in
 its trouble and turmoil1 borne hither  
and thither upon the fierce waves of the
 crowd1 bustling1 shifting1 struggling  
to keep himself somewhat above          
water--fighting for reputation1 or more 
likely for bread1 and ceaselessly       
occupied to-day with plans for appeasing
 the eternal appetite of inevitable     
hunger to-morrow--a man in such straits 
has hardly time to think of anything but
 himself1 and1 as in a sinking ship1    
must make his own rush for the boats1   
and fight1 struggle1 and trample for    
safety4 ,in the midst of such a combat  
as this1 the ingenious arts1 which      
prevent the ferocity of the manners1 and
 act upon them as an emollient 7as the  

philosophic bard remarks in the ,latin  
,grammar7 are likely to be jostled to   
death1 and then forgotten4 ,the world   
will allow no such compromises between  
it and that which does not belong to    
it--no two gods must we serve2 but 7as  
one has seen in some old portraits7 the 
horrible glazed eyes of ,necessity are  
always fixed upon you2 fly away as you  
will1 black ,care sits behind you1 and  
with his ceaseless gloomy croaking      
drowns the voice of all more cheerful   
companions4 ,happy he whose fortune has 
placed him where there is calm and      
plenty1 and who has the wisdom not to   
give up his quiet in quest of visionary 
gain4  ,here is1 no doubt1 the reason   
why a man1 after the period of his      
boyhood1 or first youth1 makes so few   
friends4 ,want and ambition 7new        
acquaintances which are introduced to   
him along with his beard7 thrust away   
all other society from him4 ,some old   
friends remain1 it is true1 but these   
are become as a habit--a part of your   

selfishness2 and1 for new ones1 they are
 selfish as you are4 ,neither member of 
the new partnership has the capital of  
affection and kindly feeling1 or can    
even afford the time that is requisite  
for the establishment of the new firm4  
,damp and chill the shades of the       
prison-house begin to close round us1   
and that vision splendid which has      
accompanied our steps in our journey    
daily farther from the east1 fades away 
and dies into the light of common day4  
,and what a common day6 what a foggy1   
dull1 shivering apology for light is    
this kind of muddy twilight through     
which we are about to tramp and flounder
 for the rest of our existence1         
wandering farther and farther from the  
beauty and freshness and from the kindly
 gushing springs of clear gladness that 
made all around us green in our youth6  
,one wanders and gropes in a slough of  
stock-jobbing1 one sinks or rises in a  
storm of politics1 and in either case it
 is as good to fall as to rise--to mount

 a bubble on the crest of the wave1 as  
to sink a stone to the bottom4  ,the    
reader who has seen the name affixed to 
the head of this article scarcely       
expected to be entertained with a       
declamation upon ingratitude1 youth1 and
 the vanity of human pursuits1 which may
 seem at first sight to have little to  
do with the subject in hand4 ,but       
7although we reserve the privilege of   
discoursing upon whatever subject shall 
suit us1 and by no means admit the      
public has any right to ask in our      
sentences for any meaning1 or any       
connection whatever7 it happens that1 in
 this particular instance1 there is an  
undoubted connection4 ,in ,susan's case1
 as recorded by ,wordsworth1 what       
connection had the corner of ,wood      
,street with a mountain ascending1 a    
vision of trees1 and a nest by the      
,dove8 ,why should the song of a thrush 
cause bright volumes of vapor to glide  
through ,lothbury1 and a river to flow  
on through the vale of ,cheapside8 ,as  

she stood at that corner of ,wood       
,street1 a mop and a pail in her hand   
most likely1 she heard the bird singing1
 and straight-way began pining and      
yearning for the days of her youth1     
forgetting the proper business of the   
pail and mop4 ,even so we are moved by  
the sight of some of ,mr4 ,cruikshank's 
works--the ,busen fuhlt sich jugendlich 
erschuttert1 the schwankende ,gestalten 
of youth flit before one                
again1--,cruikshank's thrush begins to  
pipe and carol1 as in the days of       
boyhood2 hence misty moralities1        
reflections1 and sad and pleasant       
remembrances arise4 ,he is the friend of
 the young especially4 ,have we not     
read1 all the story-books that his      
wonderful pencil has illustrated8 ,did  
we not forego tarts1 in order to buy his
 ,breaking-up1 or his ,fashionable      
,monstrosities of the year eighteen     
hundred and something8 ,have we not     
before us1 at this very moment1 a       
print1--one of the admirable            

,illustrations of ,phrenology--which    
entire work was purchased by a          
joint-stock company of boys1 each       
drawing lots afterwards for the separate
 prints1 and taking his choice in       
rotation8 ,the writer of this1 too1 had 
the honor of drawing the first lot1 and 
seized immediately upon                 
,philoprogenitiveness--a marvellous     
print 7our copy is not at all improved  
by being colored1 which operation we    
performed on it ourselves7--a marvellous
 print1 indeed1--full of ingenuity and  
fine jovial humor4 ,a father1 possessor 
of an enormous nose and family1 is      
surrounded by the latter1 who are1 some 
of them1 embracing the former4 ,the     
composition writhes and twists about    
like the ,kermes of ,rubens4 ,no less   
than seven little men and women in      
nightcaps1 in frocks1 in bibs1 in       
breeches1 are clambering about the head1
 knees1 and arms of the man with the    
nose2 their noses1 too1 are             
preternaturally developed--the twins in 

the cradle have noses of the most       
considerable kind4 ,the second daughter1
 who is watching them2 the youngest but 
two1 who sits squalling in a certain    
wicker chair2 the eldest son1 who is    
yawning2 the eldest daughter1 who is    
preparing with the gravy of two         
mutton-chops a savory dish of ,yorkshire
 pudding for eighteen persons2 the      
youths who are examining her operations 
7one a literary gentleman1 in a         
remarkably neat nightcap and pinafore1  
who has just had his finger in the      
pudding72 the genius who is at work on  
the slate1 and the two honest lads who  
are hugging the good-humored            
washerwoman1 their mother1--all1 all1   
save1 this worthy woman1 have noses of  
the largest size4 ,not handsome         
certainly are they1 and yet everybody   
must be charmed with the picture4 ,it is
 full of grotesque beauty4 ,the artist  
has at the back of his own skull1 we are
 certain1 a huge bump of                
philoprogenitiveness4 ,he loves children

 in his heart2 every one of those he has
 drawn is perfectly happy1 and jovial1  
and affectionate1 and innocent as       
possible4 ,he makes them with large     
noses1 but he loves them1 and you always
 find something kind in the midst of his
 humor1 and the ugliness redeemed by a  
sly touch of beauty4 ,the smiling mother
 reconciles one with all the hideous    
family3 they have all something of the  
mother in them--something kind1 and     
generous1 and tender4  ,knight's1 in    
,sweeting's ,alley2 ,fairburn's1 in a   
court off ,ludgate ,hill2 ,hone's1 in   
,fleet ,street--bright1 enchanted       
palaces1 which ,george ,cruikshank used 
to people with grinning1 fantastical    
imps1 and merry1 harmless               
sprites1--where are they8 ,fairburn's   
shop knows him no more2 not only has    
,knight disappeared from ,sweeting's    
,alley1 but1 as we are given to         
understand1 ,sweetings ,alley has       
disappeared from the face of the globe4 
,slop1 the atrocious ,castlereagh1 the  

sainted ,caroline 7in a tight pelisse1  
with feathers in her head71 the ,dandy  
of sixty1 who used to glance at us from 
,hone's friendly windows--where are     
they8 ,mr4 ,cruikshank may have drawn a 
thousand better things since the days   
when these were2 but they are to us a   
thousand times more pleasing than       
anything else he has done4 ,how we used 
to believe in them6 to stray miles out  
of the way on holidays1 in order to     
ponder for an hour before that          
delightful window in ,sweeting's ,alley6
 in walks through ,fleet ,street1 to    
vanish abruptly down ,fairburn's        
passage1 and there make one at his      
charming gratis exhibition4 ,there used 
to be a crowd round the window in those 
days1 of grinning1 good-natured         
mechanics1 who spelt the songs1 and     
spoke them out for the benefit of the   
company1 and who received the points of 
humor with a general sympathizing roar4 
,where are these people now8 ,you never 
hear any laughing at ,,hb42 his pictures

 are a great deal too genteel for       
that--polite points of wit1 which strike
 one as exceedingly clever and pretty1  
and cause one to smile in a quiet1      
gentleman-like kind of way4  ,there must
 be no smiling with ,cruikshank4 ,a man 
who does not laugh outright is a        
dullard1 and has no heart2 even the old 
dandy of sixty must have laughed at his 
own wondrous grotesque image1 as they   
say ,louis ,philippe did1 who saw all   
the caricatures that were made of       
himself4 ,and there are some of         
,cruikshank's designs which have the    
blessed faculty of creating laughter as 
often as you see them4 ,as ,diggory says
 in the play1 who is bidden by his      
master not to laugh while waiting at    
table--,don't tell the story of ,grouse 
in the ,gun-room1 master1 or ,i can't   
help laughing4 ,repeat that history ever
 so often1 and at the proper moment1    
honest ,diggory is sure to explode4     
,every man1 no doubt1 who loves         
,cruikshank has his ,grouse in the      

,gun-room4 ,there is a fellow in the    
,points of ,humor who is offering to eat
 up a certain little general1 that has  
made us happy any time these sixteen    
years3 his huge mouth is a perpetual    
well of laughter--buckets full of fun   
can be drawn from it4 ,we have formed no
 such friendships as that boyish one of 
the man with the mouth4 ,but though1 in 
our eyes1 ,mr4 ,cruikshank reached his  
apogee some eighteen years since1 it    
must not be imagined that such is really
 the case4 ,eighteen sets of children   
have since then learned to love and     
admire him1 and may many more of their  
successors be brought up in the same    
delightful faith4 ,it is not the artist 
who fails1 but the men who grow         
cold--the men1 from whom the illusions  
7why illusions8 realities7 of youth     
disappear one by one2 who have no       
leisure to be happy1 no blessed         
holidays1 but only fresh cares at       
,midsummer and ,christmas1 being the    
inevitable seasons which bring us bills 

instead of pleasures4 ,tom1 who comes   
bounding home from school1 has the      
doctor's account in his trunk1 and his  
father goes to sleep at the pantomime to
 which he takes him4 ,pater infelix1 you
 too have laughed at clown1 and the     
magic wand of spangled harlequin2 what  
delightful enchantment did it wave      
around you1 in the golden days when     
,george the ,third was king6 ,but our   
clown lies in his grave2 and our        
harlequin1 ,ellar1 prince of how many   
enchanted islands1 was he not at ,bow   
,street the other day199 in his dirty1  
tattered1 faded motley--seized as a     
law-breaker1 for acting at a penny      
theatre1 after having wellnigh starved  
in the streets1 where nobody would      
listen to his old guitar8 ,no one gave a
 shilling to bless him3 not one of us   
who owe him so much4       99 ,this was 
written in #ahdj4  ,we know not if ,mr4 
,cruikshank will be very well pleased at
 finding his name in such company as    
that of ,clown and ,harlequin2 but he1  

like them1 is certainly the children's  
friend4 ,his drawings abound in feeling 
for these little ones1 and hideous as in
 the course of his duty he is from time 
to time compelled to design them1 he    
never sketches one without a certain    
pity for it1 and imparting to the figure
 a certain grotesque grace4 ,in happy   
schoolboys he revels2 plum-pudding and  
holidays his needle has engraved over   
and over again2 there is a design in one
 of the comic almanacs of some young    
gentlemen who are employed in           
administering to a schoolfellow the     
correction of the pump1 which is as     
graceful and elegant as a drawing of    
,stothard4 ,dull books about children   
,george ,cruikshank makes bright with   
illustrations--there is one published by
 the ingenious and opulent ,mr4 ,tegg4  
,it is entitled ,mirth and ,morality1   
the mirth being1 for the most part1 on  
the side of the designer--the morality1 
unexceptionable certainly1 the author's 
capital4 ,here are then1 to these       

moralities1 a smiling train of mirths   
supplied by ,george ,cruikshank4 ,see   
yonder little fellows butterfly-hunting 
across a common6 ,such a light1 brisk1  
airy1 gentleman-like drawing was never  
made upon such a theme4 ,who1 cries the 
author--           ,who has not chased  
the butterfly1             ,and crushed 
its slender legs and wings1             
,and heaved a moralizing sigh3          
,alas6 how frail are human things6  ,a  
very unexceptionable morality truly2 but
 it would have puzzled another than     
,george ,cruikshank to make mirth out of
 it as he has done4 ,away1 surely not on
 the wings of these verses1             
,cruikshank's imagination begins to     
soar2 and he makes us three darling     
little men on a green common1 backed by 
old farmhouses1 somewhere about ,may4 ,a
 great mixture of blue and clouds in the
 air1 a strong fresh breeze stirring1   
,tom's jacket flapping in the same1 in  
order to bring down the insect queen or 
king of spring that is fluttering above 

him1--he renders all this with a few    
strokes on a little block of wood not   
two inches square1 upon which one may   
gaze for hours1 so merry and lifelike a 
scene does it present4 ,what a charming 
creative power is this1 what a          
privilege--to be a god1 and create      
little worlds upon paper1 and whole     
generations of smiling1 jovial men1     
women1 and children half inch high1     
whose portraits are carried abroad1 and 
have the faculty of making us monsters  
of six feet curious and happy in our    
turn4 ,now1 who would imagine that an   
artist could make anything of such a    
subject as this8 ,the writer begins by  
stating1--           ,i love to go back 
to the days of my youth1                
,and to reckon my joys to the letter1   
,and to count o'er the friends that ,i  
have in the world1             ,ay1 and 
those who are gone to a better4  ,this  
brings him to the consideration of his  
uncle4 ,of all the men ,i have ever     
known1 says he1 my uncle united the     

greatest degree of cheerfulness with the
 sobriety of manhood4 ,though a man when
 ,i was a boy1 he was yet one of the    
most agreeable companions ,i ever       
possessed4 4 4 4 ,he embarked for       
,america1 and nearly twenty years passed
 by before he came back again2 4 4 4 but
 oh1 how altered6--he was in every sense
 of the word an old man1 his body and   
mind were enfeebled1 and second         
childishness had come upon him4 ,how    
often have ,i bent over him1 vainly     
endeavoring to recall to his memory the 
scenes we had shared together3 and how  
frequently1 with an aching heart1 have  
,i gazed on his vacant and lustreless   
eye1 while he has amused himself in     
clapping his hands and singing with a   
quavering voice a verse of a psalm4     
,alas6 such are the consequences of long
 residences in ,america1 and of old age 
even in uncles6 ,well1 the point of this
 morality is1 that the uncle one day in 
the morning of life vowed that he would 
catch his two nephews and tie them      

together1 ay1 and actually did so1 for  
all the efforts the rogues made to run  
away from him2 but he was so fatigued   
that he declared he never would make the
 attempt again1 whereupon the nephew    
remarks1--,often since then1 when       
engaged in enterprises beyond my        
strength1 have ,i called to mind the    
determination of my uncle4  ,does it not
 seem impossible to make a picture out  
of this8 ,and yet ,george ,cruikshank   
has produced a charming design1 in which
 the uncles and nephews are so prettily 
portrayed that one is reconciled to     
their existence1 with all their         
moralities4 ,many more of the mirths in 
this little book are excellent1         
especially a great figure of a parson   
entering church on horseback1--an       
enormous parson truly1 calm1            
unconscious1 unwieldy4 ,as ,zeuxis had a
 bevy of virgins in order to make his   
famous picture--his express virgin--a   
clerical host must have passed under    
,cruikshank's eyes before he sketched   

this little1 enormous parson of parsons4
  ,being on the subject of children's   
books1 how shall we enough praise the   
delightful ,german nursery-tales1 and   
,cruikshank's illustrations of them8 ,we
 coupled his name with pantomime awhile 
since1 and sure never pantomimes were   
more charming than these4 ,of all the   
artists that ever drew1 from ,michael   
,angelo upwards and downwards1          
,cruikshank was the man to illustrate   
these tales1 and give them just the     
proper admixture of the grotesque1 the  
wonderful1 and the graceful4 ,may all   
,mother ,bunch's collection be similarly
 indebted to him2 may ,jack the ,giant  
,killer1 may ,tom ,thumb1 may ,puss in  
,boots1 be one day revivified by his    
pencil4 ,is not ,whittington sitting yet
 on ,highgate hill1 and poor ,cinderella
 7in that sweetest of all fairy stories7
 still pining in her lonely             
chimney-nook8 ,a man who has a true     
affection for these delightful          
companions of his youth is bound to be  

grateful to them if he can1 and we pray 
,mr4 ,cruikshank to remember them4  ,it 
is folly to say that this or that kind  
of humor is too good for the public1    
that only a chosen few can relish it4   
,the best humor that we know of has been
 as eagerly received by the public as by
 the most delicate connoisseur4 ,there  
is hardly a man in ,england who can read
 but will laugh at ,falstaff and the    
humor of ,joseph ,andrews2 and honest   
,mr4 ,pickwick's story can be felt and  
loved by any person above the age of    
six4 ,some may have a keener enjoyment  
of it than others1 but all the world can
 be merry over it1 and is always ready  
to welcome it4 ,the best criterion of   
good humor is success1 and what a share 
of this has ,mr4 ,cruikshank had6 how   
many millions of mortals has he made    
happy6 ,we have heard very profound     
persons talk philosophically of the     
marvellous and mysterious manner in     
which he has suited himself to the      
time--fait vibrer la fibre populaire 7as

 ,napoleon boasted of himself71 supplied
 a peculiar want felt at a peculiar     
period1 the simple secret of which is1  
as we take it1 that he1 living amongst  
the public1 has with them a general     
wide-hearted sympathy1 that he laughs at
 what they laugh at1 that he has a      
kindly spirit of enjoyment1 with not a  
morsel of mysticism in his composition2 
that he pities and loves the poor1 and  
jokes at the follies of the great1 and  
that he addresses all in a perfectly    
sincere and manly way4 ,to be greatly   
successful as a professional humorist1  
as in any other calling1 a man must be  
quite honest1 and show that his heart is
 in his work4 ,a bad preacher will get  
admiration and a hearing with this point
 in his favor1 where a man of three     
times his acquirements will only find   
indifference and coldness4 ,is any man  
more remarkable than our artist for     
telling the truth after his own manner8 
,hogarth's honesty of purpose was as    
conspicuous in an earlier time1 and we  

fancy that ,gilray would have been far  
more successful and more powerful but   
for that unhappy bribe1 which turned the
 whole course of his humor into an      
unnatural channel4 ,cruikshank would not
 for any bribe say what he did not      
think1 or lend his aid to sneer down    
anything meritorious1 or to praise any  
thing or person that deserved censure4  
,when he levelled his wit against the   
,regent1 and did his very prettiest for 
the ,princess1 he most certainly        
believed1 along with the great body of  
the people whom he represents1 that the 
,princess was the most spotless1        
pure-mannered darling of a ,princess    
that ever married a heartless debauchee 
of a ,prince ,royal4 ,did not millions  
believe with him1 and noble and learned 
lords take their oaths to her ,royal    
,highness's innocence8 ,cruikshank would
 not stand by and see a woman ill-used1 
and so struck in for her rescue1 he and 
the people belaboring with all their    
might the party who were making the     

attack1 and determining1 from pure      
sympathy and indignation1 that the woman
 must be innocent because her husband   
treated her so foully4  ,to be sure we  
have never heard so much from ,mr4      
,cruikshank's own lips1 but any man who 
will examine these odd drawings1 which  
first made him famous1 will see what an 
honest hearty hatred the champion of    
woman has for all who abuse her1 and    
will admire the energy with which he    
flings his wood-blocks at all who side  
against her4 ,canning1 ,castlereagh1    
,bexley1 ,sidmouth1 he is at them1 one  
and all2 and as for the ,prince1 up to  
what a whipping-post of ridicule did he 
tie that unfortunate old man6 ,and do   
not let squeamish ,tories cry out about 
disloyalty2 if the crown does wrong1 the
 crown must be corrected by the nation1 
out of respect1 of course1 for the      
crown4 ,in those days1 and by those     
people who so bitterly attacked the son1
 no word was ever breathed against the  
father1 simply because he was a good    

husband1 and a sober1 thrifty1 pious1   
orderly man4  ,this attack upon the     
,prince ,regent we believe to have been 
,mr4 ,cruikshank's only effort as a     
party politician4 ,some early           
manifestoes against ,napoleon we find1  
it is true1 done in the regular ,john   
,bull style1 with the ,gilray model for 
the little upstart ,corsican3 but as    
soon as the ,emperor had yielded to     
stern fortune our artist's heart        
relented 7as ,beranger's did on the     
other side of the water71 and many of   
our readers will doubtless recollect a  
fine drawing of ,louis ,,xviii4 trying  
on ,napoleon's boots1 which did not     
certainly fit the gouty son of ,saint   
,louis4 ,such satirical hits as these1  
however1 must not be considered as      
political1 or as anything more than the 
expression of the artist's national     
,british idea of ,frenchmen4  ,it must  
be confessed that for that great nation 
,mr4 ,cruikshank entertains a           
considerable contempt4 ,let the reader  

examine the ,life in ,paris1 or the five
 hundred designs in which ,frenchmen are
 introduced1 and he will find them      
almost invariably thin1 with ludicrous  
spindle-shanks1 pigtails1 outstretched  
hands1 shrugging shoulders1 and queer   
hair and mustachios4 ,he has the        
,british idea of a ,frenchman2 and if he
 does not believe that the inhabitants  
of ,france are for the most part        
dancing-masters and barbers1 yet takes  
care to depict such in preference1 and  
would not speak too well of them4 ,it is
 curious how these traditions endure4   
,in ,france1 at the present moment1 the 
,englishman on the stage is the         
caricatured ,englishman at the time of  
the war1 with a shock red head1 a long  
white coat1 and invariable gaiters4     
,those who wish to study this subject   
should peruse ,monsieur ,paul de ,kock's
 histories of ,lord ,boulingrog and     
,lady ,crockmilove4 ,on the other hand1 
the old emigre has taken his station    
amongst us1 and we doubt if a good      

,british gallery would understand that  
such and such a character ,,was a       
,frenchman unless he appeared in the    
ancient traditional costume4  ,a curious
 book1 called ,life in ,paris1 published
 in #ahbb1 contains a number of the     
artist's plates in the aquatint style2  
and though we believe he had never been 
in that capital1 the designs have a     
great deal of life in them1 and pass    
muster very well4 ,a villanous race of  
shoulder-shrugging mortals are his      
,frenchmen indeed4 ,and the heroes of   
the tale1 a certain ,mr4 ,dick          
,wildfire1 ,squire ,jenkins1 and        
,captain ,o',shuffleton1 are made to    
show the true ,british superiority on   
every occasion when ,britons and ,french
 are brought together4 ,this book was   
one among the many that the designer's  
genius has caused to be popular2 the    
plates are not carefully executed1 but1 
being colored1 have a pleasant1 lively  
look4 ,the same style was adopted in the
 once famous book called ,tom and       

,jerry1 or ,life in ,london1 which must 
have a word of notice here1 for1        
although by no means ,mr4 ,cruikshank's 
best work1 his reputation was           
extraordinarily raised by it4 ,tom and  
,jerry were as popular twenty years     
since as ,mr4 ,pickwick and ,sam ,weller
 now are2 and often have we wished1     
while reading the biographies of the    
latter celebrated personages1 that they 
had been described as well by ,mr4      
,cruikshank's pencil as by ,mr4         
,dickens's pen4  ,as for ,tom and       
,jerry1 to show the mutability of human 
affairs and the evanescent nature of    
reputation1 we have been to the ,british
 ,museum and no less than five          
circulating libraries in quest of the   
book1 and ,life in ,london1 alas1 is not
 to be found at any one of them4 ,we can
 only1 therefore1 speak of the work from
 recollection1 but have still a very    
clear remembrance of the leather gaiters
 of ,jerry ,hawthorn1 the green         
spectacles of ,logic1 and the hooked    

nose of ,corinthian ,tom4 ,they were the
 schoolboy's delight2 and in the days   
when the work appeared we firmly        
believed the three heroes above named to
 be types of the most elegant1          
fashionable young fellows the town      
afforded1 and thought their occupations 
and amusements were those of all        
high-bred ,english gentlemen4 ,tom      
knocking down the watchman at ,temple   
,bar2 ,tom and ,jerry dancing at        
,almack's2 or flirting in the saloon at 
the theatre2 at the night-houses1 after 
the play2 at ,tom ,cribb's1 examining   
the silver cup then in the possession of
 that champion2 at the chambers of ,bob 
,logic1 who1 seated at a cabinet piano1 
plays a waltz to which ,corinthian ,tom 
and ,kate are dancing2 ambling gallantly
 in ,rotten ,row2 or examining the poor 
fellow at ,newgate who was having his   
chains knocked off before hanging3 all  
these scenes remain indelibly engraved  
upon the mind1 and so far we are        
independent of all the circulating      

libraries in ,london4  ,as to the       
literary contents of the book1 they have
 passed sheer away4 ,it was1 most       
likely1 not particularly refined2 nay1  
the chances are that it was absolutely  
vulgar4 ,but it must have had some merit
 of its own1 that is clear2 it must have
 given striking descriptions of life in 
some part or other of ,london1 for all  
,london read it1 and went to see it in  
its dramatic shape4 ,the artist1 it is  
said1 wished to close the career of the 
three heroes by bringing them all to    
ruin1 but the writer1 or publishers1    
would not allow any such melancholy     
subjects to dash the merriment of the   
public1 and we believe ,tom1 ,jerry1 and
 ,logic1 were married off at the end of 
the tale1 as if they had been the most  
moral personages in the world4 ,there is
 some goodness in this pity1 which      
authors and the public are disposed to  
show towards certain agreeable1         
disreputable characters of romance4 ,who
 would mar the prospects of honest      

,roderick ,random1 or ,charles ,surface1
 or ,tom ,jones8 only a very stern      
moralist indeed4 ,and in regard of      
,jerry ,hawthorn and that hero without a
 surname1 ,corinthian ,tom1 ,mr4        
,cruikshank1 we make little doubt1 was  
glad in his heart that he was not       
allowed to have his own way4  ,soon     
after the ,tom and ,jerry and the ,life 
in ,paris1 ,mr4 ,cruikshank produced a  
much more elaborate set of prints1 in a 
work which was called ,points of ,humor4
 ,these ,points were selected from      
various comic works1 and did not1 we    
believe1 extend beyond a couple of      
numbers1 containing about a score of    
copper-plates4 ,the collector of        
humorous designs cannot fail to have    
them in his portfolio1 for they contain 
some of the very best efforts of ,mr4   
,cruikshank's genius1 and though not    
quite so highly labored as some of his  
later productions1 are none the worse1  
in our opinion1 for their comparative   
want of finish4 ,all the effects are    

perfectly given1 and the expression is  
as good as it could be in the most      
delicate engraving upon steel4 ,the     
artist's style1 too1 was then completely
 formed2 and1 for our parts1 we should  
say that we preferred his manner of     
#ahbe to any other which he has adopted 
since4 ,the first picture1 which is     
called ,the ,point of ,honor1           
illustrates the old story of the officer
 who1 on being accused of cowardice for 
refusing to fight a duel1 came among his
 brother officers and flung a lighted   
grenade down upon the floor1 before     
which his comrades fled ignominiously4  
,this design is capital1 and the outward
 rush of heroes1 walking1 trampling1    
twisting1 scuffling at the door1 is in  
the best style of the grotesque4 ,you   
see but the back of most of these       
gentlemen2 into which1 nevertheless1 the
 artist has managed to throw an         
expression of ludicrous agony that one  
could scarcely have expected to find in 
such a part of the human figure4 ,the   

next plate is not less good4 ,it        
represents a couple who1 having been    
found one night tipsy1 and lying in the 
same gutter1 were1 by a charitable      
though misguided gentleman1 supposed to 
be man and wife1 and put comfortably to 
bed together4 ,the morning came2 fancy  
the surprise of this interesting pair   
when they awoke and discovered their    
situation4 ,fancy the manner1 too1 in   
which ,cruikshank has depicted them1 to 
which words cannot do justice4 ,it is   
needless to state that this fortuitous  
and temporary union was followed by one 
more lasting and sentimental1 and that  
these two worthy persons were married1  
and lived happily ever after4  ,we      
should like to go through every one of  
these prints4 ,there is the jolly       
miller1 who1 returning home at night1   
calls upon his wife to get him a supper1
 and falls to upon rashers of bacon and 
ale4 ,how he gormandizes1 that jolly    
miller6 rasher after rasher1 how they   
pass away frizzling and1 smoking from   

the gridiron down that immense grinning 
gulf of a mouth4 ,poor wife6 how she    
pines and frets1 at that untimely hour  
of midnight to be obliged to fry1 fry1  
fry perpetually1 and minister to the    
monster's appetite4 ,and yonder in the  
clock3 what agonized face is that we    
see8 ,by heavens1 it is the squire of   
the parish4 ,what business has he there8
 ,let us not ask4 ,suffice it to say1   
that he has1 in the hurry of the moment1
 left up stairs his br----2 his--psha6 a
 part of his dress1 in short1 with a    
number of bank-notes in the pockets4    
,look in the next page1 and you will see
 the ferocious1 bacon-devouring ruffian 
of a miller is actually causing this    
garment to be carried through the       
village and cried by the town-crier4    
,and we blush to be obliged to say that 
the demoralized miller never offered to 
return the banknotes1 although he was so
 mighty scrupulous in endeavoring to    
find an owner for the corduroy portfolio
 in which he had found them4  ,passing  

from this painful subject1 we come1 we  
regret to state1 to a series of prints  
representing personages not a whit more 
moral4 ,burns's famous ,jolly ,beggars  
have all had their portraits drawn by   
,cruikshank4 ,there is the lovely hempen
 widow1 quite as interesting and        
romantic as the famous ,mrs4 ,sheppard1 
who has at the lamented demise of her   
husband adopted the very same           
consolation4       ,my curse upon them  
every one1      ,they've hanged my braw 
,john ,highlandman2       4      4     4
      4       ,and now a widow ,i must  
mourn      ,departed joys that ne'er    
return2      ,no comfort but a hearty   
can      ,when ,i think on ,john        
,highlandman4  ,sweet raucle carlin1 she
 has none of the sentimentality of the  
,english highwayman's lady2 but being   
wooed by a tinker and       ,a pigmy    
scraper wi' his fiddle      ,wha us'd to
 trystes and fairs to driddle1  prefers 
the practical to the merely musical man4
 ,the tinker sings with a noble candor1 

worthy of a fellow of his strength of   
body and station in life--           ,my
 bonnie lass1 ,i work in brass1         
,a tinker is my station2           ,i've
 travell'd round all ,christian ground  
,in this my occupation4           ,i've 
ta'en the gold1 ,i've been enroll'd     
,in many a noble squadron2              
,but vain they search'd when off ,i     
march'd             ,to go an' clout the
 caudron4  ,it was his ruling passion4  
,what was military glory to him1        
forsooth8 ,he had the greatest contempt 
for it1 and loved freedom and his copper
 kettle a thousand times better--a kind 
of hardware ,diogenes4 ,of fiddling he  
has no better opinion4 ,the picture     
represents the sturdy caird taking poor 
gut-scraper by the beard1--drawing his  
roosty rapier1 and swearing to speet him
 like a pliver unless he would          
relinquish the bonnie lassie for ever-- 
,wi' ghastly ee1 poor tweedle-dee       
,upon his hunkers bended1           ,an'
 pray'd for grace wi' ruefu' face1      

,an' so the quarrel ended4  ,hark how   
the tinker apostrophizes the violinist1 
stating to the widow at the same time   
the advantages which she might expect   
from an alliance with himself3--        
,despise that shrimp1 that withered imp1
             ,wi' a' his noise and      
caperin'2           ,and take a share   
with those that bear             ,the   
budget and the apron6           ,and by 
that stowp1 my faith an' houpe1         
,an' by that dear ,kilbaigie6           
,if e'er ye want1 or meet wi' scant1    
,may ,i ne'er weet my craigie4          
,cruikshank's caird is a noble creature2
 his face and figure show him to be     
fully capable of doing and saying all   
that is above written of him4  ,in the  
second part1 the old tale of ,the ,three
 ,hunchbacked ,fiddlers is illustrated  
with equal felicity4 ,the famous        
classical dinners and duel in ,peregrine
 ,pickle are also excellent in their    
way2 and the connoisseur of prints and  
etchings may see in the latter plate1   

and in another in this volume1 how great
 the artist's mechanical skill is as an 
etcher4 ,the distant view of the city in
 the duel1 and of a market-place in ,the
 ,quack ,doctor1 are delightful         
specimens of the artist's skill in      
depicting buildings and backgrounds4    
,they are touched with a grace1 truth1  
and dexterity of workmanship that leave 
nothing to desire4 ,we have before      
mentioned the man with the mouth1 which 
appears in this number emblematical of  
gout and indigestion1 in which the      
artist has shown all the fancy of       
,callot4 ,little demons1 with long saws 
for noses1 are making dreadful incisions
 into the toes of the unhappy sufferer2 
some are bringing pans of hot coals to  
keep the wounded member warm2 a huge1   
solemn nightmare sits on the invalid's  
chest1 staring solemnly into his eyes2 a
 monster1 with a pair of drumsticks1 is 
banging a devil's tattoo on his         
forehead2 and a pair of imps are nailing
 great tenpenny nails into his hands to 

make his happiness complete4  ,the late 
,mr4 ,clark's excellent work1 ,three    
,courses and a ,dessert1 was published  
at a time when the rage for comic       
stories was not so great as it since has
 been1 and ,messrs4 ,clark and          
,cruikshank only sold their hundreds    
where ,messrs4 ,dickens and ,phiz       
dispose of their thousands4 ,but if our 
recommendation can in any way influence 
the reader1 we would enjoin him to have 
a copy of the ,three ,courses1 that     
contains some of the best designs of our
 artist1 and some of the most amusing   
tales in our language4 ,the invention of
 the pictures1 for which ,mr4 ,clark    
takes credit to himself1 says a great   
deal for his wit and fancy4 ,can we1 for
 instance1 praise too highly the man who
 invented that wonderful oyster8        
,examine him well2 his beard1 his pearl1
 his little round stomach1 and his sweet
 smile4 ,only oysters know how to smile 
in this way2 cool1 gentle1 waggish1 and 
yet inexpressibly innocent and winning4 

,dando himself must have allowed such an
 artless native to go free1 and         
consigned him to the glassy1 cool1      
translucent wave again4  ,in writing    
upon such subjects as these with which  
we have been furnished1 it can hardly be
 expected that we should follow any     
fixed plan and order--we must therefore 
take such advantage as we may1 and seize
 upon our subject when and wherever we  
can lay hold of him4  ,for ,jews1       
sailors1 ,irishmen1 ,hessian boots1     
little boys1 beadles1 policemen1 tall   
life-guardsmen1 charity children1 pumps1
 dustmen1 very short pantaloons1 dandies
 in spectacles1 and ladies with aquiline
 noses1 remarkably taper waists1 and    
wonderfully long ringlets1 ,mr4         
,cruikshank has a special predilection4 
,the tribe of ,israelites he has studied
 with amazing gusto2 witness the ,jew in
 ,mr4 ,ainsworth's ,jack ,sheppard1 and 
the immortal ,fagin of ,oliver ,twist4  
,whereabouts lies the comic vis in these
 persons and things8 ,why should a      

beadle be comic1 and his opposite a     
charity boy8 ,why should a tall         
life-guardsman have something in him    
essentially absurd8 ,why are short      
breeches more ridiculous than long8     
,what is there particularly jocose about
 a pump1 and wherefore does a long nose 
always provoke the beholder to laughter8
 ,these points may be metaphysically    
elucidated by those who list4 ,it is    
probable that ,mr4 ,cruikshank could not
 give an accurate definition of that    
which is ridiculous in these objects1   
but his instinct has told him that fun  
lurks in them1 and cold must be the     
heart that can pass by the pantaloons of
 his charity boys1 the ,hessian boots of
 his dandies1 and the fan-tail hats of  
his dustmen1 without respectful wonder4 
,he has made a complete little gallery  
of dustmen4 ,there is1 in the first     
place1 the professional dustman1 who1   
having in the enthusiastic exercise of  
his delightful trade1 laid hands upon   
property not strictly his own1 is       

pursued1 we presume1 by the right owner1
 from whom he flies as fast as his      
crooked shanks will carry him4  ,what a 
curious picture it is--the horrid       
rickety houses in some dingy suburb of  
,london1 the grinning cobbler1 the      
smothered butcher1 the very trees which 
are covered with dust--it is fine to    
look at the different expressions of the
 two interesting fugitives4 ,the fiery  
charioteer who belabors the poor donkey 
has still a glance for his brother on   
foot1 on whom punishment is about to    
descend4 ,and not a little curious is it
 to think of the creative power of the  
man who has arranged this little tale of
 low life4 ,how logically it is         
conducted1 how cleverly each one of the 
accessories is made to contribute to the
 effect of the whole4 ,what a deal of   
thought and humor has the artist        
expended on this little block of wood2 a
 large picture might have been painted  
out of the very same materials1 which   
,mr4 ,cruikshank1 out of his wondrous   

fund of merriment and observation1 can  
afford to throw away upon a drawing not 
two inches long4 ,from the practical    
dustmen we pass to those purely         
poetical4 ,there are three of them who  
rise on clouds of their own raising1 the
 very genii of the sack and shovel4  ,is
 there no one to write a sonnet to      
these8--and yet a whole poem was written
 about ,peter ,bell the wagoner1 a      
character by no means so poetic4  ,and  
lastly1 we have the dustman in love3 the
 honest fellow having seen a young      
beauty stepping out of a gin-shop on a  
,sunday morning1 is pressing eagerly his
 suit4  ,gin has furnished many subjects
 to ,mr4 ,cruikshank1 who labors in his 
own sound and hearty way to teach his   
countrymen the dangers of that drink4   
,in the ,sketch-,book is a plate upon   
the subject1 remarkable for fancy and   
beauty of design2 it is called the ,gin 
,juggernaut1 and represents a hideous   
moving palace1 with a reeking still at  
the roof and vast gin-barrels for       

wheels1 under which unhappy millions are
 crushed to death4 ,an immense black    
cloud of desolation covers over the     
country through which the gin monster   
has passed1 dimly looming through the   
darkness whereof you see an agreeable   
prospect of gibbets with men dangling1  
burnt houses1 c4 ,the vast cloud comes  
sweeping on in the wake of this horrible
 body-crusher2 and you see1 by way of   
contrast1 a distant1 smiling1 sunshiny  
tract of old ,english country1 where gin
 as yet is not known4 ,the allegory is  
as good1 as earnest1 and as fanciful as 
one of ,john ,bunyan's1 and we have     
often fancied there was a similarity    
between the men4  ,the render will      
examine the work called ,my             
,sketch-,book with not a little         
amusement1 and may gather from it1 as we
 fancy1 a good deal of information      
regarding the character of the          
individual man1 ,george ,cruikshank3    
what points strike his eye as a painter2
 what move his anger or admiration as a 

moralist2 what classes he seems most    
especially disposed to observe1 and what
 to ridicule4 ,there are quacks of all  
kinds1 to whom he has a mortal hatred2  
quack dandies1 who assume under his     
pencil1 perhaps in his eye1 the most    
grotesque appearance possible--their    
hats grow larger1 their legs infinitely 
more crooked and lean2 the tassels of   
their canes swell out to a most         
preposterous size2 the tails of their   
coats dwindle away1 and finish where    
coat-tails generally begin4 ,let us lay 
a wager that ,cruikshank1 a man of the  
people if ever there was one1 heartily  
hates and despises these supercilious1  
swaggering young gentlemen2 and his     
contempt is not a whit the less laudable
 because there may be tant soit peu of  
prejudice in it4 ,it is right and       
wholesome to scorn dandies1 as ,nelson  
said it was to hate ,frenchmen2 in which
 sentiment 7as we have before said7     
,george ,cruikshank undoubtedly shares4 
,in the ,sunday in ,london199 ,monsieur 

the ,chef is instructing a kitchen-maid 
how to compound some rascally ,french   
kickshaw or the other--a pretty         
scoundrel truly6 with what an air he    
wears that nightcap of his1 and shrugs  
his lank shoulders1 and chatters1 and   
ogles1 and grins3 they are all the same1
 these mounseers2 there are other two   
fellows--morbleu6 one is putting his    
dirty fingers into the saucepan2 there  
are frogs cooking in it1 no doubt2 and  
just over some other dish of            
abomination1 another dirty rascal is    
taking snuff6 ,never mind1 the sauce    
won't be hurt by a few ingredients more 
or less4 ,three such fellows as these   
are not worth one ,englishman1 that's   
clear4 ,there is one in the very midst  
of them1 the great burly fellow with the
 beef3 he could beat all three in five  
minutes4 ,we cannot be certain that such
 was the process going on in ,mr4       
,cruikshank's mind when he made the     
design2 but some feelings of the sort   
were no doubt entertained by him4       

99 ,the following lines--ever fresh--by 
the author of      ,headlong ,hall1     
published years ago in the ,globe and   
,traveller1 are an excellent comment on 
several of the cuts      from the       
,sunday in ,london3--                   
,i4           ,the poor man's sins are  
glaring2           ,in the face of      
ghostly warning             ,he is      
caught in the fact             ,of an   
overt act1           ,buying greens on  
,sunday morning4                        
,,ii4           ,the rich man's sins are
 hidden           ,in the pomp of wealth
 and station1             ,and escape   
the sight             ,of the children  
of light1           ,who are wise in    
their generation4                       
,,iii4           ,the rich man has a    
kitchen1           ,and cooks to dress  
his dinner2             ,the poor who   
would roast1             ,to the baker's
 must post1           ,and thus becomes 
a sinner4                         ,,iv4 
,the rich man's painted windows         

,hide the concerts of the quality2      
,the poor can but share             ,a  
crack'd fiddle in the air1              
,which offends all sound morality4      
,v4           ,the rich man has a       
cellar1           ,and a ready butler by
 him2             ,the poor must steer  
,for his pint of beer           ,where  
the saint can't choose but spy him4     
,,vi4           ,this rich man is       
invisible           ,in the crowd of his
 gay society2             ,but the poor 
man's delight             ,is a sore in 
the sight           ,and a stench in the
 nose of piety4  ,against dandy footmen 
he is particularly severe4 ,he hates    
idlers1 pretenders1 boasters1 and       
punishes these fellows as best he may4  
,who does not recollect the famous      
picture1 ,what ,,is taxes1 ,thomas8     
,what is taxes indeed2 well may that    
vast1 over-fed1 lounging flunky ask the 
question of his associate ,thomas3 and  
yet not well1 for all that ,thomas says 
in reply is1 ,i ,,don',t ,,know4 ,o     

beati ,,plushicolae1 what a charming    
state of ignorance is yours6 ,in the    
,sketch-,book many footmen make their   
appearance3 one is a huge fat ,hercules 
of a ,portman ,square porter1 who calmly
 surveys another poor fellow1 a porter  
likewise1 but out of livery1 who comes  
staggering forward with a box that      
,hercules might lift with his little    
finger4 ,will ,hercules do so8 not he4  
,the giant can carry nothing heavier    
than a cocked-hat note on a silver tray1
 and his labors are to walk from his    
sentry-box to the door1 and from the    
door back to his sentry-box1 and to read
 the ,sunday paper1 and to poke the hall
 fire twice or thrice1 and to make five 
meals a day4 ,such a fellow does        
,cruikshank hate and scorn worse even   
than a ,frenchman4  ,the man's master1  
too1 comes in for no small share of our 
artist's wrath4 ,there is a company of  
them at church1 who humbly designate    
themselves miserable sinners6 ,miserable
 sinners indeed6 ,oh1 what floods of    

turtle-soup1 what tons of turbot and    
lobster-sauce must have been sacrificed 
to make those sinners properly          
miserable4 ,my lady with the ermine     
tippet and draggling feather1 can we not
 see that she lives in ,portland ,place1
 and is the wife of an ,east ,india     
,director8 ,she has been to the ,opera  
over-night 7indeed her husband1 on her  
right1 with his fat hand dangling over  
the pew-door1 is at this minute thinking
 of ,mademoiselle ,leocadie1 whom he saw
 behind the scenes7--she has been at the
 ,opera over-night1 which with a trifle 
of supper afterwards--a white-and-brown 
soup1 a lobster-salad1 some woodcocks1  
and a little champagne--sent her to bed 
quite comfortable4 ,at half-past eight  
her maid brings her chocolate in bed1 at
 ten she has fresh eggs and muffins1    
with1 perhaps1 a half-hundred of prawns 
for breakfast1 and so can get over the  
day and the sermon till lunch-time      
pretty well4 ,what an odor of musk and  
bergamot exhales from the pew6--how it  

is wadded1 and stuffed1 and spangled    
over with brass nails6 what hassocks are
 there for those who are not too fat to 
kneel6 what a flustering and flapping of
 gilt prayer-books2 and what a pious    
whirring of bible leaves one hears all  
over the church1 as the doctor blandly  
gives out the text6 ,to be miserable at 
this rate you must1 at the very least1  
have four thousand a year3 and many     
persons are there so enamored of grief  
and sin1 that they would willingly take 
the risk of the misery to have a        
life-interest in the consols that       
accompany it1 quite careless about      
consequences1 and sceptical as to the   
notion that a day is at hand when you   
must fulfil ,,your ,,share ,,of ,,the   
,,bargain4  ,our artist loves to joke at
 a soldier2 in whose livery there       
appears to him to be something almost as
 ridiculous as in the uniform of the    
gentleman of the shoulder-knot4 ,tall   
life-guardsmen and fierce grenadiers    
figure in many of his designs1 and      

almost always in a ridiculous way4 ,here
 again we have the honest popular       
,english feeling which jeers at pomp or 
pretension of all kinds1 and is         
especially jealous of all display of    
military authority4 ,raw ,recruit1 ditto
 dressed1 ditto served up1 as we see    
them in the ,sketch-,book1 are so many  
satires upon the army3 ,hodge with his  
ribbons flaunting in his hat1 or with   
red coat and musket1 drilled stiff and  
pompous1 or at last1 minus leg and arm1 
tottering about on crutches1 does not   
fill our ,english artist with the       
enthusiasm that follows the soldier in  
every other part of ,europe4 ,jeanjean1 
the conscript in ,france1 is laughed at 
to be sure1 but then it is because he is
 a bad soldier3 when he comes to have a 
huge pair of mustachios and the         
croix-d'honneur to briller on his       
poitrine cicatrisee1 ,jeanjean becomes a
 member of a class that is more         
respected than any other in the ,french 
nation4 ,the veteran soldier inspires   

our people with no such awe--we hold    
that democratic weapon the fist in much 
more honor than the sabre and bayonet1  
and laugh at a man tricked out in       
scarlet and pipe-clay4  ,that regiment  
of heroes is marching to divine service1
 to the tune of the ,british            
,grenadiers4 ,there they march in state1
 and a pretty contempt our artist shows 
for all their gimcracks and trumpery4   
,he has drawn a perfectly ,english      
scene--the little blackguard boys are   
playing pranks round about the men1 and 
shouting1 ,heads up1 soldier1 ,eyes     
right1 lobster1 as little ,british      
urchins will do4 ,did one ever hear the 
like sentiments expressed in ,france8   
,shade of ,napoleon1 we insult you by   
asking the question4 ,in ,england1      
however1 see how different the case is3 
and designedly or undesignedly1 the     
artist has opened to us a piece of his  
mind4 ,in the crowd the only person who 
admires the soldiers is the poor idiot1 
whose pocket a rogue is picking4 ,there 

is another picture1 in which the        
sentiment is much the same1 only1 as in 
the former drawing we see ,englishmen   
laughing at the troops of the line1 here
 are ,irishmen giggling at the militia4 
,we have said that our artist has a     
great love for the drolleries of the    
,green ,island4 ,would any one doubt    
what was the country of the merry       
fellows depicted in his group of        
,paddies8           ,place me amid      
,o',rourkes1 ,o',tooles1                
,the ragged royal race of ,tara2        
,or place me where ,dick ,martin rules  
,the pathless wilds of ,connemara4  ,we 
know not if ,mr4 ,cruikshank has ever   
had any such good luck as to see the    
,irish in ,ireland itself1 but he       
certainly has obtained a knowledge of   
their looks1 as if the country had been 
all his life familiar to him4 ,could    
,mr4 ,o',connell himself desire anything
 more national than the scene of a      
drunken row1 or could ,father ,mathew   
have a better text to preach upon8      

,there is not a broken nose in the room 
that is not thoroughly ,irish4  ,we have
 then a couple of compositions treated  
in a graver manner1 as characteristic   
too as the other4 ,we call attention to 
the comical look of poor ,teague1 who   
has been pursued and beaten by the      
witch's stick1 in order to point out    
also the singular neatness of the       
workmanship1 and the pretty1 fanciful   
little glimpse of landscape that the    
artist has introduced in the background4
 ,mr4 ,cruikshank has a fine eye for    
such homely landscapes1 and renders them
 with great delicacy and taste4 ,old    
villages1 farm-yards1 groups of stacks1 
queer chimneys1 churches1 gable-ended   
cottages1 ,elizabethan mansion-houses1  
and other old ,english scenes1 he       
depicts with evident enthusiasm4        
,famous books in their day were         
,cruikshank's ,john ,gilpin and ,epping 
,hunt2 for though our artist does not   
draw horses very scientifically1--to use
 a phrase of the atelier1--he ,,feels   

them very keenly2 and his queer animals1
 after one is used to them1 answer quite
 as well as better4 ,neither is he very 
happy in trees1 and such rustical       
produce2 or1 rather1 we should say1 he  
is very original1 his trees being       
decidedly of his own make and           
composition1 not imitated from any      
master4  ,but what then8 ,can a man be  
supposed to imitate everything8 ,we know
 what the noblest study of mankind is1  
and to this ,mr4 ,cruikshank has        
confined himself4 ,that postilion with  
the people in the broken-down chaise    
roaring after him is as deaf as the post
 by which he passes4 ,suppose all the   
accessories were away1 could not one    
swear that the man was stone-deaf1      
beyond the reach of trumpet8 ,what is   
the peculiar character in a deaf man's  
physiognomy8--can any person define it  
satisfactorily in words8--not in pages2 
and ,mr4 ,cruikshank has expressed it on
 a piece of paper not so big as the     
tenth part of your thumb-nail4 ,the     

horses of ,john ,gilpin are much more of
 the equestrian order2 and as here the  
artist has only his favorite suburban   
buildings to draw1 not a word is to be  
said against his design4 ,the inn and   
old buildings are charmingly designed1  
and nothing can be more prettily or     
playfully touched4           ,at        
,edmonton his loving wife               
,from the balcony spied           ,her  
tender husband1 wond'ring much          
,to see how he did ride4                
',stop1 stop1 ,john ,gilpin6  ,here's   
the house6'             ,they all at    
once did cry2           ',the dinner    
waits1 and we are tired--'              
,said ,gilpin--',so am ,i6'             
,six gentlemen upon the road            
,thus seeing ,gilpin fly1               
,with post-boy scamp'ring in the rear1  
,they raised the hue and cry3--         
',stop thief6 stop thief6--a            
highwayman6'             ,not one of    
them was mute2           ,and all and   
each that passed that way               

,did join in the pursuit4           ,and
 now the turnpike gates again           
,flew open in short space2              
,the toll-men thinking1 as before1      
,that ,gilpin rode a race4  ,the rush1  
and shouting1 and clatter are           
excellently depicted by the artist2 and 
we1 who have been scoffing at his manner
 of designing animals1 must here make a 
special exception in favor of the hens  
and chickens2 each has a different      
action1 and is curiously natural4       
,happy are children of all ages who have
 such a ballad and such pictures as this
 in store for them6 ,it is a comfort to 
think that woodcuts never wear out1 and 
that the book still may be had for a    
shilling1 for those who can command that
 sum of money4  ,in the ,epping ,hunt1  
which we owe to the facetious pen of    
,mr4 ,hood1 our artist has not been so  
successful4 ,there is here too much     
horsemanship and not enough incident for
 him2 but the portrait of ,roundings the
 huntsman is an excellent sketch1 and a 

couple of the designs contain great     
humor4 ,the first represents the        
,cockney hero1 who1 like a bird1 was    
singing out while sitting on a tree4    
,and in the second the natural order is 
reversed4 ,the stag having taken heart1 
is hunting the huntsman1 and the        
,cheapside ,nimrod is most ignominiously
 running away4  ,the ,easter ,hunt1 we  
are told1 is no more2 and as the        
,quarterly ,review recommends the       
,british public to purchase ,mr4        
,catlin's pictures1 as they form the    
only record of an interesting race now  
rapidly passing away1 in like manner we 
should exhort all our friends to        
purchase ,mr4 ,cruikshank's designs of  
,,another interesting race1 that is run 
already and for the last time4  ,besides
 these1 we must mention1 in the line of 
our duty1 the notable tragedies of ,tom 
,thumb and ,bombastes ,furioso1 both of 
which have appeared with many           
illustrations by ,mr4 ,cruikshank4 ,the 
brave army of ,bombastes exhibits a     

terrific display of brutal force1 which 
must shock the sensibilities of an      
,english radical4 ,and we can well      
understand the caution of the general1  
who bids this soldatesque effrenee to   
begone1 and not to kick up a row4  ,such
 a troop of lawless ruffians let loose  
upon a populous city would play sad     
havoc in it2 and we fancy the massacres 
of ,birmingham renewed1 or at least of  
,badajoz1 which1 though not quite so    
dreadful1 if we may believe his ,grace  
the ,duke of ,wellington1 as the former 
scenes of slaughter1 were nevertheless  
severe enough3 but we must not venture  
upon any ill-timed pleasantries in      
presence of the disturbed ,king ,arthur 
and the awful ghost of ,gaffer ,thumb4  
,we are thus carried at once into the   
supernatural1 and here we find          
,cruikshank reigning supreme4 ,he has   
invented in his time a little comic     
pandemonium1 peopled with the most      
droll1 good-natured fiends possible4 ,we
 have before us ,chamisso's ,peter      

,schlemihl1 with ,cruikshank's designs  
translated into ,german1 and gaining    
nothing by the change4 ,the ,kinder und 
,hans-,maerchen of ,grimm are likewise  
ornamented with a frontispiece copied   
from that one which appeared to the     
amusing version of the ,english work4   
,the books on ,phrenology and ,time have
 been imitated by the same nation2 and  
even in ,france1 whither reputation     
travels slower than to any country      
except ,china1 we have seen copies of   
the works of ,george ,cruikshank4  ,he  
in return has complimented the ,french  
by illustrating a couple of ,lives of   
,napoleon1 and the ,life in ,paris      
before mentioned4 ,he has also made     
designs for ,victor ,hugo's ,hans of    
,iceland4 ,strange1 wild etchings were  
those1 on a strange1 mad subject2 not so
 good in our notion as the designs for  
the ,german books1 the peculiar humor of
 which latter seemed to suit the artist 
exactly4 ,there is a mixture of the     
awful and the ridiculous in these1 which

 perpetually excites and keeps awake the
 reader's attention2 the ,german writer 
and the ,english artist seem to have an 
entire faith in their subject4 ,the     
reader1 no doubt1 remembers the awful   
passage in ,peter ,schlemihl1 where the 
little gentleman purchases the shadow of
 that hero--,have the kindness1 noble   
sir1 to examine and try this bag4 ,he   
put his hand into his pocket1 and drew  
thence a tolerably large bag of         
,cordovan leather1 to which a couple of 
thongs were fixed4 ,i took it from him1 
and immediately counted out ten gold    
pieces1 and ten more1 and ten more1 and 
still other ten1 whereupon ,i held out  
my hand to him4 ,done1 said ,i1 it is a 
bargain2 you shall have my shadow for   
your bag4 ,the bargain was concluded2 he
 knelt down before me1 and ,i saw him   
with a wonderful neatness take my shadow
 from head to foot1 lightly lift it up  
from the grass1 roll and fold it up     
neatly1 and at last pocket it4 ,he then 
rose up1 bowed to me once more1 and     

walked away again1 disappearing behind  
the rose bushes4 ,i don't know1 but ,i  
thought ,i heard him laughing a little4 
,i1 however1 kept fast hold of the bag4 
,everything around me was bright in the 
sun1 and as yet ,i gave no thought to   
what ,i had done4  ,this marvellous     
event1 narrated by ,peter with such a   
faithful1 circumstantial detail1 is     
painted by ,cruikshank in the most      
wonderful poetic way1 with that happy   
mixture of the real and supernatural    
that makes the narrative so curious1 and
 like truth4 ,the sun is shining with   
the utmost brilliancy in a great quiet  
park or garden2 there is a palace in the
 background1 and a statue basking in the
 sun quite lonely and melancholy2 there 
is a sun-dial1 on which is a deep       
shadow1 and in the front stands ,peter  
,schlemihl1 bag in hand3 the old        
gentleman is down on his knees to him1  
and has just lifted off the ground the  
,,shadow ,,of ,,one ,,leg2 he is going  
to fold it back neatly1 as one does the 

tails of a coat1 and will stow it1      
without any creases or crumples1 along  
with the other black garments that lie  
in that immense pocket of his4          
,cruikshank has designed all this as if 
he had a very serious belief in the     
story2 he laughs1 to be sure1 but one   
fancies that he is a little frightened  
in his heart1 in spite of all his fun   
and joking4  ,the ,german tales we have 
mentioned before4 ,the ,prince riding on
 the ,fox1 ,hans in ,luck1 ,the ,fiddler
 and his ,goose1 ,heads off1 are all    
drawings which1 albeit not before us    
now1 nor seen for ten years1 remain     
indelibly fixed on the memory4 ,heisst  
du etwa ,rumpelstilzchen8 ,there sits   
the ,queen on her throne1 surrounded by 
grinning beef-eaters1 and little        
,rumpelstiltskin stamps his foot through
 the floor in the excess of his         
tremendous despair4 ,in one of these    
,german tales1 if we remember rightly1  
there is an account of a little orphan  
who is carried away by a pitying fairy  

for a term of seven years1 and passing  
that period of sweet apprenticeship     
among the imps and sprites of           
fairy-land4 ,has our artist been among  
the same company1 and brought back their
 portraits in his sketch-book8 ,he is   
the only designer fairy-land has had4   
,callot's imps1 for all their           
strangeness1 are only of the earth      
earthy4 ,fuseli's fairies belong to the 
infernal regions2 they are monstrous1   
lurid1 and hideously melancholy4 ,mr4   
,cruikshank alone has had a true insight
 into the character of the little       
people4 ,they are something like men and
 women1 and yet not flesh and blood2    
they are laughing and mischievous1 but  
why we know not4 ,mr4 ,cruikshank1      
however1 has had some dream or the      
other1 or else a natural mysterious     
instinct 7as the ,seherinn of ,prevorst 
had for beholding ghosts71 or else some 
preternatural fairy revelation1 which   
has made him acquainted with the looks  
and ways of the fantastical subjects of 

,oberon and ,titania4  ,we have1        
unfortunately1 no fairy portraits2 but1 
on the other hand1 can descend lower    
than fairy-land1 and have seen some fine
 specimens of devils4 ,one has already  
been raised1 and the reader has seen him
 tempting a fat ,dutch burgomaster1 in  
an ancient gloomy market-place1 such as 
,george ,cruikshank can draw as well as 
,mr4 ,prout1 ,mr4 ,nash1 or any man     
living4 ,there is our friend once more2 
our friend the burgomaster1 in a highly 
excited state1 and running as hard as   
his great legs will carry him1 with our 
mutual enemy at his tail4  ,what are the
 bets2 will that long-legged bondholder 
of a devil come up with the honest      
,dutchman8 ,it serves him right3 why did
 he put his name to stamped paper8 ,and 
yet we should not wonder if some lucky  
chance should turn up in the            
burgomaster's favor1 and his infernal   
creditor lose his labor2 for one so     
proverbially cunning as yonder tall     
individual with the saucer eyes1 it must

 be confessed that he has been very     
often outwitted4  ,there is1 for        
instance1 the case of ,the ,gentleman in
 ,black1 which has been illustrated by  
our artist4 ,a young ,french gentleman1 
by name ,m4 ,desonge1 who1 having       
expended his patrimony in a variety of  
taverns and gaming-houses1 was one day  
pondering upon the exhausted state of   
his finances1 and utterly at a loss to  
think how he should provide means for   
future support1 exclaimed1 very         
naturally1 ,what the devil shall ,i do8 
,he had no sooner spoken than a         
,,gentleman ,,in ,,black made his       
appearance1 whose authentic portrait    
,mr4 ,cruikshank has had the honor to   
paint4 ,this gentleman produced a       
black-edged book out of a black bag1    
some black-edged papers tied up with    
black crape1 and sitting down familiarly
 opposite ,m4 ,desonge1 began conversing
 with him on the state of his affairs4  
,it is needless to state what was the   
result of the interview4 ,m4 ,desonge   

was induced by the gentleman to sign his
 name to one of the black-edged papers1 
and found himself at the close of the   
conversation to be possessed of an      
unlimited command of capital4 ,this     
arrangement completed1 the ,gentleman in
 ,black posted 7in an extraordinarily   
rapid manner7 from ,paris to ,london1   
there found a young ,english merchant in
 exactly the same situation in which ,m4
 ,desonge had been1 and concluded a     
bargain with the ,briton of exactly the 
same nature4  ,the book goes on to      
relate how these young men spent the    
money so miraculously handed over to    
them1 and how both1 when the period drew
 near that was to witness the           
performance of ,,their part of the      
bargain1 grew melancholy1 wretched1 nay1
 so absolutely dishonorable as to seek  
for every means of breaking through     
their agreement4 ,the ,englishman living
 in a country where the lawyers are more
 astute than any other lawyers in the   
world1 took the advice of a ,mr4        

,bagsby1 of ,lyon's ,inn2 whose name1 as
 we cannot find it in the ,law ,list1 we
 presume to be fictitious4 ,who could it
 be that was a match for the devil8     
,lord ---- very likely2 we shall not    
give his name1 but let every reader of  
this ,review fill up the blank according
 to his own fancy1 and on comparing it  
with the copy purchased by his          
neighbors1 he will find that fifteen out
 of twenty have written down the same   
honored name4  ,well1 the ,gentleman in 
,black was anxious for the fulfilment of
 his bond4 ,the parties met at ,mr4     
,bagsby's chambers to consult1 the      
,black ,gentleman foolishly thinking    
that he could act as his own counsel1   
and fearing no attorney alive4 ,but mark
 the superiority of ,british law1 and   
see how the black pettifogger was       
defeated4  ,mr4 ,bagsby simply stated   
that he would take the case into        
,chancery1 and his antagonist1 utterly  
humiliated and defeated1 refused to move
 a step farther in the matter4  ,and now

 the ,french gentleman1 ,m4 ,desonge1   
hearing of his friend's escape1 became  
anxious to be free from his own rash    
engagements4 ,he employed the same      
counsel who had been successful in the  
former instance1 but the ,gentleman in  
,black was a great deal wiser by this   
time1 and whether ,m4 ,desonge escaped1 
or whether he is now in that extensive  
place which is paved with good          
intentions1 we shall not say4 ,those who
 are anxious to know had better purchase
 the book wherein all these interesting 
matters are duly set down4 ,there is one
 more diabolical picture in our budget1 
engraved by ,mr4 ,thompson1 the same    
dexterous artist who has rendered the   
former diableries so well4  ,we may     
mention ,mr4 ,thompson's name as among  
the first of the engravers to whom      
,cruikshank's designs have been         
entrusted2 and next to him 7if we may be
 allowed to make such arbitrary         
distinctions7 we may place ,mr4         
,williams2 and the reader is not        

possibly aware of the immense           
difficulties to be overcome in the      
rendering of these little sketches1     
which1 traced by the designer in a few  
hours1 require weeks' labor from the    
engraver4 ,mr4 ,cruikshank has not been 
educated in the regular schools of      
drawing 7very luckily for him1 as we    
think71 and consequently has had to make
 a manner for himself1 which is quite   
unlike that of any other draftsman4     
,there is nothing in the least          
mechanical about it2 to produce his     
particular effects he uses his own      
particular lines1 which are queer1 free1
 fantastical1 and must be followed in   
all their infinite twists and vagaries  
by the careful tool of the engraver4    
,those three lovely heads1 for instance1
 imagined out of the rinds of lemons1   
are worth examining1 not so much for the
 jovial humor and wonderful variety of  
feature exhibited in these darling      
countenances as for the engraver's part 
of the work4 ,see the infinite delicate 

cross-lines and hatchings which he is   
obliged to render2 let him go1 not a    
hair's breadth1 but the hundredth part  
of a hair's breadth1 beyond the given   
line1 and the ,,feeling of it is ruined4
 ,he receives these little dots and     
specks1 and fantastical quirks of the   
pencil1 and cuts away with a little     
knife round each1 not too much nor too  
little4 ,antonio's pound of flesh did   
not puzzle the ,jew so much2 and so well
 does the engraver succeed at last1 that
 we never remember to have met with a   
single artist who did not vow that the  
wood-cutter had utterly ruined his      
design4  ,of ,messrs4 ,thompson and     
,williams we have spoken as the first   
engravers in point of rank2 however1 the
 regulations of professional precedence 
are certainly very difficult1 and the   
rest of their brethren we shall not     
endeavor to class4 ,why should the      
artists who executed the cuts of the    
admirable ,three ,courses yield the pas 
to any one8  ,there1 for instance1 is an

 engraving by ,mr4 ,landells1 nearly as 
good in our opinion as the very best    
woodcut that ever was made after        
,cruikshank1 and curiously happy in     
rendering the artist's peculiar manner3 
this cut does not come from the         
facetious publications which we have    
consulted2 but is a contribution by ,mr4
 ,cruikshank to an elaborate and        
splendid botanical work upon the        
,orchidaceae of ,mexico1 by ,mr4        
,bateman4 ,mr4 ,bateman despatched some 
extremely choice roots of this valuable 
plant to a friend in ,england1 who1 on  
the arrival of the case1 consigned it to
 his gardener to unpack4 ,a great deal  
of anxiety with regard to the contents  
was manifested by all concerned1 but on 
the lid of the box being removed1 there 
issued from it three or four fine       
specimens of the enormous ,blatta beetle
 that had been preying upon the plants  
during the voyage2 against these the    
gardeners1 the grooms1 the porters1 and 
the porters' children1 issued forth in  

arms1 and this scene the artist has     
immortalized4  ,we have spoken of the   
admirable way in which ,mr4 ,cruikshank 
has depicted ,irish character and       
,cockney character2 ,english country    
character is quite as faithfully        
delineated in the person of the stout   
porteress and her children1 and of the  
,chawbacon with the shovel1 on whose    
face is written ,zummerzetsheer4        
,chawbacon appears in another plate1 or 
else ,chawbacon's brother4 ,he has come 
up to ,lunnan1 and is looking about him 
at raaces4  ,how distinct are these     
rustics from those whom we have just    
been examining6 ,they hang about the    
purlieus of the metropolis3 ,brook      
,green1 ,epsom1 ,greenwich1 ,ascot1     
,goodwood1 are their haunts4 ,they visit
 ,london professionally once a year1 and
 that is at the time of ,bartholomew    
fair4 ,how one may speculate upon the   
different degrees of rascality1 as      
exhibited in each face of the           
thimblerigging trio1 and form little    

histories for these worthies1 charming  
,newgate romances1 such as have been of 
late the fashion6 ,is any man so blind  
that he cannot see the exact face that  
is writhing under the thhnblerigged     
hero's hat8 ,like ,timanthes of old1 our
 artist expresses great passions without
 the aid of the human countenance4      
,there is another specimen--a street row
 of inebriated bottles4 ,is there any   
need of having a face after this8 ,come 
on6 says ,claret-bottle1 a dashing1     
genteel fellow1 with his hat on one     
ear--,come on6 has any man a mind to tap
 me8 ,claret-bottle is a little screwed 
7as one may see by his legs71 but full  
of gayety and courage2 not so that      
stout1 apoplectic ,bottle-of-rum1 who   
has staggered against the wall1 and has 
his hand upon his liver3 the fellow     
hurts himself with smoking1 that is     
clear1 and is as sick as sick can be4   
,see1 ,port is making away from the     
storm1 and ,double ,x is as flat as     
ditch-water4 ,against these1 awful in   

their white robes1 the sober watchmen   
come4  ,our artist then can cover up    
faces1 and yet show them quite clearly1 
as in the thimblerig group2 or he can do
 without faces altogether2 or he can1 at
 a pinch1 provide a countenance for a   
gentleman out of any given object--a    
beautiful ,irish physiognomy being      
moulded upon a keg of whiskey2 and a    
jolly ,english countenance frothing out 
of a pot of ale 7the spirit of brave    
,toby ,philpot come back to reanimate   
his clay72 while in a fungus may be     
recognized the physiognomy of a mushroom
 peer4 ,finally1 if he is at a loss1 he 
can make a living head1 body1 and legs  
out of steel or tortoise-shell1 as in   
the case of the vivacious pair of       
spectacles that are jockeying the nose  
of ,caddy ,cuddle4  ,of late years ,mr4 
,cruikshank has busied himself very much
 with steel engraving1 and the          
consequences of that lucky invention    
have been1 that his plates are now sold 
by thousands1 where they could only be  

produced by hundreds before4 ,he has    
made many a bookseller's and author's   
fortune 7we trust that in so doing he   
may not have neglected his own74 ,twelve
 admirable plates1 furnished yearly to  
that facetious little publication1 the  
,comic ,almanac1 have gained for it a   
sale1 as we hear1 of nearly twenty      
thousand copies4 ,the idea of the work  
was novel2 there was1 in the first      
number especially1 a great deal of comic
 power1 and ,cruikshank's designs were  
so admirable that the ,almanac at once  
became a vast favorite with the public1 
and has so remained ever since4         
,besides the twelve plates1 this almanac
 contains a prophetic woodcut1          
accompanying an awful ,blarneyhum       
,astrologicum that appears in this and  
other almanacs4 ,there is one that hints
 in pretty clear terms that with the    
,reform of ,municipal ,corporations the 
ruin of the great ,lord ,mayor of       
,london is at hand4 ,his lordship is    
meekly going to dine at an eightpenny   

ordinary1 his giants in pawn1 his men in
 armor dwindled to one poor knight1 his 
carriage to be sold1 his stalwart       
aldermen vanished1 his sheriffs1 alas6  
and alas6 in gaol6 ,another design shows
 that ,rigdum1 if a true1 is also a     
moral and instructive prophet4 ,john    
,bull is asleep1 or rather in a vision2 
the cunning demon1 ,speculation1 blowing
 a thousand bright bubbles about him4   
,meanwhile the rooks are busy at his    
fob1 a knave has cut a cruel hole in his
 pocket1 a rattlesnake has coiled safe  
round his feet1 and will in a trice     
swallow ,bull1 chair1 money and all2 the
 rats are at his corn-bags 7as if1 poor 
devil1 he had corn to spare72 his       
faithful dog is bolting his             
leg-of-mutton--nay1 a thief has gotten  
hold of his very candle1 and there1 by  
way of moral1 is his ale-pot1 which     
looks and winks in his face1 and seems  
to say1 ,o ,bull1 all this is froth1 and
 a cruel satirical picture of a certain 
rustic who had a goose that laid certain

 golden eggs1 which goose the rustic    
slew in expectation of finding all the  
eggs at once4 ,this is goose and sage   
too1 to borrow the pun of learned       
,doctor ,gill2 but we shrewdly suspect  
that ,mr4 ,cruikshank is becoming a     
little conservative in his notions4  ,we
 love these pictures so that it is hard 
to part us1 and we still fondly endeavor
 to hold on1 but this wild word1        
farewell1 must be spoken by the best    
friends at last1 and so good-by1 brave  
woodcuts3 we feel quite a sadness in    
coming to the last of our collection4   
,in the earlier numbers of the ,comic   
,almanac all the manners and customs of 
,londoners that would afford food for   
fun were noted down2 and if during the  
last two years the mysterious personage 
who1 under the title of ,rigdum         
,funnidos1 compiles this ephemeris1 has 
been compelled to resort to romantic    
tales1 we must suppose that he did so   
because the great metropolis was        
exhausted1 and it was necessary to      

discover new worlds in the cloud-land of
 fancy4 ,the character of ,mr4 ,stubbs1 
who made his appearance in the ,almanac 
for #ahci1 had1 we think1 great merit1  
although his adventures were somewhat of
 too tragical a description to provoke  
pure laughter4  ,we should be glad to   
devote a few pages to the ,illustrations
 of ,time1 the ,scraps and ,sketches1   
and the ,illustrations of ,phrenology1  
which are among the most famous of our  
artist's publications2 but it is very   
difficult to find new terms of praise1  
as find them one must1 when reviewing   
,mr4 ,cruikshank's publications1 and    
more difficult still 7as the reader of  
this notice will no doubt have perceived
 for himself long since7 to translate   
his design into words1 and go to the    
printer's box for a description of all  
that fun and humor which the artist can 
produce by a few skilful turns of his   
needle4 ,a famous article upon the      
,illustrations of ,time appeared some   
dozen years since in ,blackwood's       

,magazine1 of which the conductors have 
always been great admirers of our       
artist1 as became men of honor and      
genius4 ,to these grand qualities do not
 let it be supposed that we are laying  
claim1 but1 thank heaven1 ,cruikshank's 
humor is so good and benevolent that any
 man must love it1 and on this score we 
may speak as well as another4  ,then    
there are the ,greenwich ,hospital      
designs1 which must not be passed over4 
,greenwich ,hospital is a hearty1       
good-natured book1 in the ,tom ,dibdin  
school1 treating of the virtues of      
,british tars1 in approved nautical     
language4 ,they maul ,frenchmen and     
,spaniards1 they go out in brigs and    
take frigates1 they relieve women in    
distress1 and are yard-arm and          
yard-arming1 athwart-hawsing1           
marlinspiking1 binnacling1 and          
helm's-a-leeing1 as honest seamen       
invariably do1 in novels1 on the stage1 
and doubtless on board ship4 ,this we   
cannot take upon us to say1 but the     

artist1 like a true ,englishman1 as he  
is1 loves dearly these brave guardians  
of ,old ,england1 and chronicles their  
rare or fanciful exploits with the      
greatest good-will4 ,let any one look at
 the noble head of ,nelson in the       
,family ,library1 and they will1 we are 
sure1 think with us that the designer   
must have felt and loved what he drew4  
,there are to this abridgment of        
,southey's admirable book many more cuts
 after ,cruikshank2 and about a dozen   
pieces by the same hand will be found in
 a work equally popular1 ,lockhart's    
excellent ,life of ,napoleon4 ,among    
these the retreat from ,moscow is very  
fine2 the ,mamlouks most vigorous1      
furious1 and barbarous1 as they should  
be4 ,at the end of these three volumes  
,mr4 ,cruikshank's contributions to the 
,family ,library seem suddenly to have  
ceased4  ,we are not at all disposed to 
undervalue the works and genius of ,mr4 
,dickens1 and we are sure that he would 
admit as readily as any man the         

wonderful assistance that he has derived
 from the artist who has given us the   
portraits of his ideal personages1 and  
made them familiar to all the world4    
,once seen1 these figures remain        
impressed on the memory1 which otherwise
 would have had no hold upon them1 and  
the heroes and heroines of ,boz become  
personal acquaintances with each of us4 
,oh1 that ,hogarth could have           
illustrated ,fielding in the same way6  
and fixed down on paper those grand     
figures of ,parson ,adams1 and ,squire  
,allworthy1 and the great ,jonathan     
,wild4  ,with regard to the modern      
romance of ,jack ,sheppard1 in which the
 latter personage makes a second        
appearance1 it seems to us that ,mr4    
,cruikshank really created the tale1 and
 that ,mr4 ,ainsworth1 as it were1 only 
put words to it4 ,let any reader of the 
novel think over it for a while1 now    
that it is some months since he has     
perused and laid it down--let him think1
 and tell us what he remembers of the   

tale8 ,george ,cruikshank's             
pictures--always ,george ,cruikshank's  
pictures4 ,the storm in the ,thames1 for
 instance3 all the author's labored     
description of that event has passed    
clean away--we have only before the     
mind's eye the fine plates of           
,cruikshank3 the poor wretch cowering   
under the bridge arch1 as the waves come
 rushing in1 and the boats are whirling 
away in the drift of the great swollen  
black waters4 ,and let any man look at  
that second plate of the murder on the  
,thames1 and he must acknowledge how    
much more brilliant the artist's        
description is than the writer's1 and   
what a real genius for the terrible as  
well as for the ridiculous the former   
has2 how awful is the gloom of the old  
bridge1 a few lights glimmering from the
 houses here and there1 but not so as to
 be reflected on the water at all1 which
 is too turbid and raging3 a great heavy
 rack of clouds goes sweeping over the  
bridge1 and men with flaring torches1   

the murderers1 are borne away with the  
stream4  ,the author requires many pages
 to describe the fury of the storm1     
which ,mr4 ,cruikshank has represented  
in one4 ,first1 he has to prepare you   
with the something inexpressibly        
melancholy in sailing on a dark night   
upon the ,thames3 the ripple of the     
water1 the darkling current1 the        
indistinctively seen craft1 the solemn  
shadows and other phenomena visible on  
rivers at night are detailed 7with not  
unskilful rhetoric7 in order to bring   
the reader into a proper frame of mind  
for the deeper gloom and horror which is
 to ensue4 ,then follow pages of        
description4 ,as ,rowland sprang to the 
helm1 and gave the signal for pursuit1 a
 war like a volley of ordnance was heard
 aloft1 and the wind again burst its    
bondage4 ,a moment before the surface of
 the stream was as black as ink4 ,it was
 now whitening1 hissing1 and seething1  
like an enormous caldron4 ,the blast    
once more swept over the agitated river1

 whirled off the sheets of foam1        
scattered them far and wide in          
rain-drops1 and left the raging torrent 
blacker than before4 ,destruction       
everywhere marked the course of the     
gale4 ,steeples toppled and towers      
reeled beneath its fury4 ,all was       
darkness1 horror1 confusion1 ruin4 ,men 
fled from their tottering habitations   
and returned to them1 scared by greater 
danger4 ,the end of the world seemed at 
hand4 4 4 4 ,the hurricane had now      
reached its climax4 ,the blast shrieked1
 as if exulting in its wrathful mission4
 ,stunning and continuous1 the din      
seemed almost to take away the power of 
hearing4 ,he who had faced the gale     
,,would ,,have ,,been ,,instantly       
,,stifled1 c4 c4 ,see with what a       
tremendous war of words 7and good loud  
words too2 ,mr4 ,ainsworth's description
 is a good and spirited one7 the author 
is obliged to pour in upon the reader   
before he can effect his purpose upon   
the latter1 and inspire him with a      

proper terror4 ,the painter does it at a
 glance1 and old ,wood's dilemma in the 
midst of that tremendous storm1 with the
 little infant at his bosom1 is         
remembered afterwards1 not from the     
words1 but from the visible image of    
them that the artist has left us4  ,it  
would not1 perhaps1 be out of place to  
glance through the whole of the ,jack   
,sheppard plates1 which are among the   
most finished and the most successful of
 ,mr4 ,cruikshank's performances1 and   
say a word or two concerning them4 ,let 
us begin with finding fault with ,no4   
#a1 ,mr4 ,wood offers to adopt little   
,jack ,sheppard4 ,a poor print1 on a    
poor subject2 the figure of the woman   
not as carefully designed as it might   
be1 and the expression of the eyes 7not 
an uncommon fault with our artist7 much 
caricatured4 ,the print is cut up1 to   
use the artist's phrase1 by the number  
of accessories which the engraver has   
thought proper1 after the author's      
elaborate description1 elaborately to   

reproduce4 ,the plate of ,wild          
discovering ,darrell in the loft is     
admirable--ghastly1 terrible1 and the   
treatment of it extraordinarily skilful1
 minute1 and bold4 ,the intricacies of  
the tile-work1 and the mysterious       
twinkling of light among the beams1 are 
excellently felt and rendered2 and one  
sees here1 as in the two next plates of 
the storm and murder1 what a fine eye   
the artist has1 what a skilful hand1 and
 what a sympathy for the wild and       
dreadful4 ,as a mere imitation of       
nature1 the clouds and the bridge in the
 murder picture may be examined by      
painters who make far higher pretensions
 than ,mr4 ,cruikshank4 ,in point of    
workmanship they are equally good1 the  
manner quite unaffected1 the effect     
produced without any violent contrast1  
the whole scene evidently well and      
philosophically arranged in the artist's
 brain1 before he began to put it upon  
copper4  ,the famous drawing of ,jack   
carving the name on the beam1 which has 

been transferred to half the play-bills 
in town1 is overloaded with accessories1
 as the first plate2 but they are much  
better arranged than in the last-named  
engraving1 and do not injure the effect 
of the principal figure4 ,remark1 too1  
the conscientiousness of the artist1 and
 that shrewd pervading idea of ,,form   
which is one of his principal           
characteristics4 ,jack is surrounded by 
all sorts of implements of his          
profession2 he stands on a regular      
carpenter's table3 away in the shadow   
under it lie shavings and a couple of   
carpenter's hampers4 ,the glue-pot1 the 
mallet1 the chisel-handle1 the planes1  
the saws1 the hone with its cover1 and  
the other paraphernalia are all         
represented with extraordinary accuracy 
and forethought4 ,the man's mind has    
retained the exact ,,drawing of all     
these minute objects 7unconsciously     
perhaps to himself71 but we can see with
 what keen eyes he must go through the  
world1 and what a fund of facts 7as such

 a knowledge of the shape of objects is 
in his profession7 this keen student of 
nature has stored away in his brain4 ,in
 the next plate1 where ,jack is escaping
 from his mistress1 the figure of that  
lady1 one of the deepest of the ,greek  
text omitted1 strikes us as disagreeable
 and unrefined2 that of ,winifred is1 on
 the contrary1 very pretty and graceful2
 and ,jack's puzzled1 slinking look must
 not be forgotten4 ,all the accessories 
are good1 and the apartment has a snug1 
cosy air2 which is not remarkable1      
except that it shows how faithfully the 
designer has performed his work1 and how
 curiously he has entered into all the  
particulars of the subject4  ,master    
,thames ,darrell1 the handsome young man
 of the book1 is1 in ,mr4 ,cruikshank's 
portraits of him1 no favorite of ours4  
,the lad seems to wish to make up for   
the natural insignificance of his face  
by frowning on all occasions most       
portentously4 ,this figure1 borrowed    
from the compositor's desk1 will give a 

notion of what we mean4 ,wild's face is 
too violent for the great man of history
 7if we may call ,fielding history71 but
 this is in consonance with the ranting1
 frowning1 braggadocio character that   
,mr4 ,ainsworth has given him4  ,the    
,interior of ,willesden ,church is      
excellent as a composition1 and a piece 
of artistical workmanship2 the groups   
are well arranged2 and the figure of    
,mrs4 ,sheppard looking round alarmed1  
as her son is robbing the dandy         
,kneebone1 is charming1 simple1 and     
unaffected4 ,not so ,mrs4 ,sheppard ill 
in bed1 whose face is screwed up to an  
expression vastly too tragic4 ,the      
little glimpse of the church seen       
through the open door of the room is    
very beautiful and poetical3 it is in   
such small hints that an artist         
especially excels2 they are the morals  
which he loves to append to his stories1
 and are always appropriate and welcome4
 ,the boozing ken is not to our liking2 
,mrs4 ,sheppard is there with her       

horrified eyebrows again4 ,why this     
exaggeration--is it necessary for the   
public8 ,we think not1 or if they       
require such excitement1 let our artist1
 like a true painter as he is1 teach    
them better things499       99 ,a       
gentleman 7whose wit is so celebrated   
that one should be      very cautious in
 repeating his stories7 gave the writer 
a      good illustration of the         
philosophy of exaggeration4  ,mr4 --    
-- was once behind the scenes at the    
,opera when the scene-      shifters    
were preparing for the ballet4  ,flora  
was to sleep      under a bush1 whereon 
were growing a number of roses1 and     
amidst which was fluttering a gay covey 
of butterflies4  ,in      size the roses
 exceeded the most expansive sunflowers1
 and      the butterflies were as large 
as cocked hats2--the scene      -shifter
 explained to ,mr4 ----1 who asked the  
reason why      everything was so       
magnified1 that the galleries could     
never      see the objects unless they  

were enormously exaggerated4      ,how  
many of our writers and designers work  
for the      galleries8       ,the      
,escape from ,willesden ,cage is        
excellent2 the ,burglary      in ,wood's
 house has not less merit2 ,mrs4        
,sheppard in      ,bedlam1 a ghastly    
picture indeed1 is finely conceived1 but
      not1 as we fancy1 so carefully    
executed2 it would be better      for a 
little more careful drawing in the      
female figure4       ,jack sitting for  
his picture is a very pleasing group1   
and      savors of the manner of        
,hogarth1 who is introduced in the      
company4  ,the ,murder of ,trenchard    
must be noticed too as      remarkable  
for the effect and terrible vigor which 
the      artist has given to the scene4 
,the ,willesden ,churchyard      has    
great merit too1 but the gems of the    
book are the little      vignettes      
illustrating the escape from ,newgate4  
,here1 too1      much anatomical care of
 drawing is not required2 the figures   

are so small that the outline and       
attitude need only to be      indicated1
 and the designer has produced a series 
of figures      quite remarkable for    
reality and poetry too4  ,there are no  
less than ten of ,jack's feats so       
described by ,mr4      ,cruikshank4     
7,let us say a word here in praise of   
the      excellent manner in which the  
author has carried us through      the  
adventure47  ,here is ,jack clattering  
up the chimney1 now      peering into   
the lonely red room1 now opening the    
door      between the red room and the  
chapel4  ,what a wild1 fierce1          
scared look he has1 the young ruffian1  
as cautiously he      steps in1 holding 
light his bar of iron4  ,you can see by 
his      face how his heart is beating6 
,if any one were there6 but      no6    
,and this is a very fine characteristic 
of the prints1      the extreme         
,,loneliness of them all4 ,not a soul is
 there to      disturb him--woe to him  
who should--and ,jack drives in the     

chapel gate1 and shatters down the      
passage door1 and there      you have   
him on the leads4  ,up he goes6 it is   
but a spring      of a few feet from the
 blanket1 and he is gone--abiit1        
evasit1 erupit6 ,mr4 ,wild must catch   
him again if he can4       ,we must not 
forget to mention ,oliver ,twist1 and   
,mr4      ,cruikshank's famous designs  
to that work499  ,the sausage      scene
 at ,fagin's1 ,nancy seizing the boy2   
that capital piece      of humor1 ,mr4  
,bumble's courtship1 which is even      
better in      ,cruikshank's version    
than in ,boz's exquisite account of the 
interview2 ,sykes's farewell to the dog2
 and the ,jew1--the      dreadful       
,jew--that ,cruikshank drew6  ,what a   
fine touching      picture of melancholy
 desolation is that of ,sykes and the   
dog6  ,the poor cur is not too well     
drawn1 the landscape is      stiff and  
formal2 but in this case the faults1 if 
faults      they be1 of execution rather
 add to than diminish the effect      of

 the picture3 it has a strange1 wild1   
dreary1 broken      -hearted look2 we   
fancy we see the landscape as it must   
have      appeared to ,sykes1 when      
ghastly and with bloodshot eyes he      
looked at it4  ,as for the ,jew in the  
dungeon1 let us say      nothing of     
it--what can we say to describe it8     
,what a fine      homely poet is the man
 who can produce this little world of   
mirth or woe for us6  ,does he elaborate
 his effects by slow      process of    
thought1 or do they come to him by      
instinct8      ,does the painter ever   
arrange in his brain an image so        
complete1 that he afterwards can copy it
 exactly on the      canvas1 or does the
 hand work in spite of him8             
99 ,or his new work1 ,the ,tower of     
,london1 which promises                 
even to surpass ,mr4 ,cruikshank's      
former productions4  ,a great deal of   
this random work of course every artist 
has done in his time2 many men produce  
effects of which they never dreamed1 and

 strike off excellences1 haphazard1     
which gain for them reputation2 but a   
fine quality in ,mr4 ,cruikshank1 the   
quality of his success1 as we have said 
before1 is the extraordinary earnestness
 and good faith with which he executes  
all he attempts--the ludicrous1 the     
polite1 the low1 the terrible4 ,in the  
second of these he often1 in our fancy1 
fails1 his figures lacking elegance and 
descending to caricature2 but there is  
something fine in this too3 it is good  
that he ,,should fail1 that he should   
have these honest naive notions         
regarding the beau monde1 the           
characteristics of which a namby-pamby  
tea-party painter could hit off far     
better than he4 ,he is a great deal too 
downright and manly to appreciate the   
flimsy delicacies of small society--you 
cannot expect a lion to roar you like   
any sucking dove1 or frisk about a      
drawing-room like a lady's little       
spaniel4  ,if then1 in the course of his
 life and business1 he has been         

occasionally obliged to imitate the ways
 of such small animals1 he has done so1 
let us say it at once1 clumsily1 and    
like as a lion should4 ,many artists1 we
 hear1 hold his works rather cheap2 they
 prate about bad drawing1 want of       
scientific knowledge3--they would have  
something vastly more neat1 regular1    
anatomical4  ,not one of the whole band 
most likely but can paint an ,academy   
figure better than himself2 nay1 or a   
portrait of an alderman's lady and      
family of children4 ,but look down the  
list of the painters and tell us who are
 they8 ,how many among these men are    
,,poets 7makers71 possessing the faculty
 to create1 the greatest among the gifts
 with which ,providence has endowed the 
mind of man8 ,say how many there are1   
count up what they have done1 and see   
what in the course of some              
nine-and-twenty years has been done by  
this indefatigable man4  ,what amazing  
energetic fecundity do we find in him6  
,as a boy he began to fight for bread1  

has been hungry 7twice a day we trust7  
ever since1 and has been obliged to sell
 his wit for his bread week by week4    
,and his wit1 sterling gold as it is1   
will find no such purchasers as the     
fashionable painter's thin pinchbeck1   
who can live comfortably for six weeks1 
when paid for and painting a portrait1  
and fancies his mind prodigiously       
occupied all the while4 ,there was an   
artist in ,paris1 an artist hairdresser1
 who used to be fatigued and take       
restoratives after inventing a new      
coiffure4 ,by no such gentle operation  
of head-dressing has ,cruikshank lived3 
time was 7we are told so in print7 when 
for a picture with thirty heads in it he
 was paid three guineas--a poor week's  
pittance truly1 and a dire week's labor4
 ,we make no doubt that the same labor  
would at present bring him twenty times 
the sum2 but whether it be ill paid or  
well1 what labor has ,mr4 ,cruikshank's 
been6 ,week by week1 for thirty years1  
to produce something new2 some smiling  

offspring of painful labor1 quite       
independent and distinct from its ten   
thousand jovial brethren2 in what hours 
of sorrow and ill-health to be told by  
the world1 ,make us laugh or you        
starve--,give us fresh fun2 we have     
eaten up the old and are hungry4 ,and   
all this has he been obliged to do--to  
wring laughter day by day1 sometimes1   
perhaps1 out of want1 often certainly   
from ill-health or depression--to keep  
the fire of his brain perpetually       
alight3 for the greedy public will give 
it no leisure to cool4 ,this he has done
 and done well4 ,he has told a thousand 
truths in as many strange and           
fascinating ways2 he has given a        
thousand new and pleasant thoughts to   
millions of people2 he has never used   
his wit dishonestly2 he has never1 in   
all the exuberance of his frolicsome    
humor1 caused a single painful or guilty
 blush3 how little do we think of the   
extraordinary power of this man1 and how
 ungrateful we are to him6  ,here1 as we

 are come round to the charge of        
ingratitude1 the starting-post from     
which we set out1 perhaps we had better 
conclude4 ,the reader will perhaps      
wonder at the high-flown tone in which  
we speak of the services and merits of  
an individual1 whom he considers a      
humble scraper on steel1 that is        
wonderfully popular already4 ,but none  
of us remember all the benefits we owe  
him2 they have come one by one1 one     
driving out the memory of the other3 it 
is only when we come to examine them all
 together1 as the writer has done1 who  
has a pile of books on the table before 
him--a heap of personal kindnesses from 
,george ,cruikshank 7not presents1 if   
you please1 for we bought1 borrowed1 or 
stole every one of them7--that we feel  
what we owe him4 ,look at one of ,mr4   
,cruikshank's works1 and we pronounce   
him an excellent humorist4 ,look at all3
 his reputation is increased by a kind  
of geometrical progression2 as a whole  
diamond is a hundred times more valuable

 than the hundred splinters into which  
it might be broken would be4 ,a fine    
rough ,english diamond is this about    
which we have been writing4