The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-13 00:00:00

SIR JOHN FALSTAFF.

ANEW SERIAL. BY GEORGE CRUIKSHANK.

There appeared upon May day among the maga-
zines and other monthly periodicals, Part I. of a
new serial, "The Life of S:r John Falstaff." The
Illustrations by George Cru:kshank. The Letter-
press by Robert Brough. The whole publication
emanating from the Great House of The Row—
Messrs. Langinan, Brown, Grecn, Longmans, and
Roberts. Shilling Parts—and, of these Parts, there
are to be teu altogether. Each part embellished
with a couple of elaborate etchings—graceful and
humorous—from the needle of the mostpopular and
gifted of all our comic Draughtsmen ! The initial
instalment of the work is before us, and candidly
to it said, so far as the " Illustrations" go, promises
to be a work worthy of those two names provoca-
tive of pleasant laughter—Falstaff and Cruikshank!
We cannot honestly say much for Mr. Brough's
long-winded and laboriously funny attempt in the
letterpress to accord to those Twin Jake-Masters
the benefit of a sham•authentic Biography of the
Fat Knight. This biography appears to us from
first to last to be a mistake. It " strikes flat the
broad rotundity " of that obese world of fun—
Jack Falstaff ! Not so, is it with regard to the
glorious etchings of Cruikshank. They are alto-
gether delightful: We are satisfied with them.
And surely that is saying much, remembering who
is the hero, and who the artist ! The two already in
hand give to us the agreeable prospect of a score of
etchings truly Shaksperian. First and foremost—
there is the Frontispiece ! The veritable portrait
of " Sir John Falstaff, Knight,—[Observe the
wording of its title !]—Drawn by William Shakspere
—etched by George Cruikshank." Sic Sedebat—
plethorously—with a difficulty of getting again—a
flagon at his elbow—his sturdy chair in, the chimney
corner—the mantelsbelf ornamented w;th an an-
tique " carvelling," giving notice at a glance that
the scene, sure enough, is a festive room in the
roystering Boar's Head Tavern, in Eastcheap. The
brilliant eye, the portly belly, the very dagger stick-
ing horiaiontally in the belt by reasonof the Knight's
obesity—every detail is perteCtly humourous and
perfectly characteristic. Then there is the second
of these two wonderful -etchings in Part I. of
Cruikshank's Falstaff." An etching entitled
" Jack Falstaff, when Page to Thomas Mowbray,
Duke of Norfolk, breaking Skogan's Head at the
Court-gate." Jack, a dapper, little, tight-built
varlet as ever handled rapier ! Skogan good-
humoured to the last, with his skull cracked ! It
is, indeed, in most particulars, replete with fun—
fun that Falstaff of all men would have been just
the very one to appreciate, and that Cruikshank of
all men has just, the very knack of delineating. A
capital comic serial it promises to be in truth alto-
gether—so far, at least, as relates to the illustra-
tions by George Cruikshank. Illustrations of the
" Life" of —, a good portly man, i' faith and
a corpulent; of a cheerful look, a pleasing eye, and
a most noble carriage ; and as I think his age some
fifty, or inclining to threescore, and now I remem-
ber me his name is Falstaff." That "devil"
haunting Prince Hal, " in the likene,,s of a fat old
man—a ton of man—that trunk of humours, that
bolting hutch of beastliness, that swollen parcel
of dropaies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed
cloak-bag of guts, that roasted manning-tree
ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend
vice, that grey iniquity, that father ruffian, that
vanity in years, that villainous abominable wig-
leader of youtb, that old white-bearded Satan"--'
Falstaff! In regard to whose vices and defects,
thus set forth to his teeth in derision-by the mad-
cap Prince of Wales—thus quoth he himself in
extenuation : "If sack and sugar be a fault, God
help the wicked ! If to he old and merry be a sin,
then many an old host that I know is damned : if
to be fat be to be hated, then Pharaoh's lean kine
are to be loved"—and so forth ! So, Welcome for
the next nine months "sweet Jack Falstaff, kind
Jack Falstaff, true Jack Falstaff, honest Jack
Falstaff !" Here he comes, demurely waddling to
us, month by month, under the auspices of George
Cruikshank. As Prince Hal saith in the play—"'
(Henry IV., Part i., act ii., scene Hera
comes lean Jack, here comes barebones !"

IiEALT.H OF LONDON DURING TIIE

WEEK.

(From, the Report of the Registrar-General.)
_ _

- , -
The number of deaths registered in London in
the week that ended on Saturday is 1,064, and or-
hibits a small increale on that of the previous week,
which was 1,083. In the ten years 1847-56 the aye'
rage number of deaths in' the weeks corresponding
with last week -was 1,040. But, as the deaths ol
last week occurred in au increased population, the
average, with a view to comparison, must be raised
proportionally to the increase, in which case it Will
become 1,144. Hence it appears that the deaths
now returned were less by 80 than the numberahat
would have occurred under the average rate of mor-
tality.
The number of births recorded last week is 1,846,
and shows an excess of 782 on the deaths recorded
in the same period.
The returns now contain indications of the effect
of the cold north-east wind that has blown uninter•
ruptedly for some time. During 18 days from the
22d ult. to the Bth inst., both days included, the mean
daily temperature of the air has been constantly
below the average, and the extent of the depression
has been generally 7 deg.' or 8 deg., and on four
nights last week the thermometer fell to 32 deg., or
below that point. The result of this continued cold'
ness is seen in the deaths referred to diseases of the
respiratory organs, which had previously decreased,
but which rose last week from 177 to 208, the spa'
cial disease under which this increase is found being
bronchitis, which rose from 84 to 116. The deaths
due to pneumonia (or inflammation of the lungo)
remained nearly the same, having been in the two
weeks 74 and 70. Last week bronchitis and pnet
monia were fatal to the same number of young
persons—viz., 52 ; but among persons 'of mature
age the two iseases were fatal in very different
proportions, for 64 persons aged 20 years and up-
wards died of bronchitis, and 18 of pneumonia.
Hoopingcough declined last week to 44,—a lowa
number than has been obtained for a long,
period. There were two deaths from smallpox. OL,
32 from measles 5 occurred in the sub-district 0'
Bethnal-green, and Bin that of Limehouse. There
appears to have been a violent outbreak of image
in the workhouse situated in the latter sub-district.;
as all the 8 deaths occurred in that institution, and
nearly all of them within a few days.
Seven nonogenerians died in the week; the two
oldest were women, aged 93 years, one of who'll
died in Brompton, the other in the Pancras Work'
house.

Last week the births of 924 boys and 922 girls
—in all 1,846 children—were registered in London,
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 184256 the average number was 1,550.
-At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.962 id.
The mean daily reading was above 30in. on five
days • and the highest reading in the week was
30.12 in. on Tuesday. The mean temperature of the
week was 44.8 deg., which is 6.7 deg. below the
average of the same week in 43 years (as deter-
mined by Mr. Glaisher.) The lowest temperature
occurred on Monday, and May 31.5 deg. ; the higheA
on Saturday, and was 65.3 deg. The range of the
week was 33.8 deg. The mean dew point tempera'
ture was 38.2 dog., and the difference between 00
and the mean air temperature was 6.6 deg. The r
wind blew almost invariably from the north-east*
There was scarcely any rain. The first five data
were very cold

MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLIS
NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTEUZ
IN THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MAY 9.
Zymotic Diseases 87
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Tubercular Diseases
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves and Senses 11606
Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels
Diseases of the Lungs and other Organs of
208
Respiration
.. . .
o
Diseases o
tithe Stomach, Liver, and other Organs
53 Dige
Diseases of the Kidneys, &c.
Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
...... ...
.1
Diseases of the Skin, &c.
Malformations 2
Premature Birth and Debility
...• 31
Atrophy
40
Old Age
..
'Sudden 4
Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance........ . 61
Causes not specified
.----',
DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES
neatO Population Deaths in corre- --,„ oe
Enumerated. sponding week Vot,
1851. of 1856. 1 2
West Districts - ~-,546
North Districts ...... 490,396 -
.... 146
Central Districts 393,256
East Districts 485,522
South Districts
616,635 ...... 293 ....--- 2

Totals
Males
F =ales
BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

1,154

1,064
542
522

Males
Females..

Total

_.1,846

Partin con not having beard of the
Cove of Cork lately, thinks the poor gentleman alat
be ill,