Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-06-18

DOUGLASS JERRoLD. Jerrod is now
in his 54th year. Born in 1903, at which
time his father was manager of the Sheer
ness theatre, he went to sea, when twelve
years Of aggs, as midshipman in the Royal
Navy. HIS last voyage in this capacity was
when the ship on which he served brought
over portion Of the British wounded from
Waterloo. After the peace Of 1915 he left
the Navy, and was apprenticed to printer
In London. He had worked as a compost
tor for some years when he made his first
attempts in literature as a theatrical critic.
At the age of 20 he wrote his Black-eyed
Susan. During the four and-twenty years
which have elapsed since that well known
play first delighted the nightly crowds at
Surrey Theatre and at Drury Lane, Mr..
Jerrold has continued to act on the public
with his pen, as writer of drama after
DRAMAS writer of essays, sketches, and
tales, for magazines, and for separate pub
|lication-as one of the chief contributors to
Punch since its second number as the
editor, in succession, of several monthly
periodicals and two weekly newspapers.
The result has been, that we nov possess.
as the collected body of his writings, con-
siderable number of volumes and that who
soever, either in Britain or out of Britain
knows anything of contemporary British lite
nature, is familiar with the name of Doug
lass Jerrold 49,. -
Very few celebrated men stand the test
of being personally seen and listened to. It
ought not to be so, but such is the fact
Most decidedly, however, it is not so with
Mr.. Jerrold. Personally, he is one of the
most impressive men in London. His eager,
courageous, somewhat wild, but sensitive
face, with dash of Nelson in it, as we'll as
his spare figure, would arrest attention even
where he was not known. And then his
talk, wherever he is known! By this time
| it is no secret that he is reputed in London
circles to be the wittiest man going. In
grave, downright, or discussive conversation,
or in eloquent and varied monologue, there
may be others of our metropolitan men OF
letters who come up to him; but, in the one
quality Of wit, and, above all, in the facul-
ty of instant, pungent, flashing, blasting re-
tort, he is believed to have no equal. Not
that he is a peculiarly argumentative or com
bative man-far less that he is really cyni-
cal or ill-natured. His ordinary or sponta-
neous talk is bright, free, various, anecdotic,
fanciful, and often very earnest, though still
characterized by the play of wit But the
fashion of ''wit combats," even among
friends, has not yet gone out; and often,
where there is no difference at all, or where,
if there is difference, it is perfectly ami
cable one, something win be said by some
one present, containing within it the elemen-
tai possibility of jest-a jest confrmative,
a jest critical, a jest sarcastic, jest dissol-
vent, jest personal to the speaker, OF a jest
purely arbitrary and fantastic. -.
Then is Mr.. Jerrold's moment. A fash,
and it is out. Away somewhere among the
afinities, ere one could count two, the thing
has been caught, a word has been doubled
up, an analogy seized on the wing; two ideas,
that had laid apart since chaos, are sudden
ly brought together; the quickest bearer
has it first; the laugh goes round like a
cracker: and just when the rest are done,
the metaphysical Scotchman. at length, at
the end of the table, cries out, 81 see it, -
and sends around the laugh again. When
the jest is confrmative or fantastic, ali are
pleased; when it is critical or fantastic, or
dissolvent, the speaker may 20 on at the
peril of another; when it is personal, and
no harm is meant, good fellow will keep
his temper. There is, perhaps, no CONVEX
sation in which Mr.. Jerrold takes part,
that does not elicit from him half dozen
of supremely good things of the kind de-
scribed. To recollect such good things is
proverbially difficult; and hence many OF
Jerrold's die within the week, or never get
beyond three miles from Covent Garden
Some, however, live, and get into circula-
ton, little the worse for wear, in the pro-
vinces; and not few have been exported
One joke Of his was found lately beating
about the coasts of Sweden, seeking in vain
for competent Swedish translator; and
the other day, tourist from London, see
ing two brawny North Britons laughing to-
gether immoderately on rock near Cape
Wrath, with heavy sea dashing at their
feet, discovered that the cause of their mirth
was a joke Of Mr.. Jerrold's, which they had
intercepted on its way to the Shetlands. A
collection of Jerrozdaa'so, we should suppose,
would be found as good, of its kind, as a
similar collection of the witticisms of Syd-
ney Smith; not so numerous, perhaps, nor
so rich and unctuous individually, but many
of them fercer and more keenly barbed.-
National ENG. Mag.
How TALL GEoRe1ANs ARE FED.-InI
Bulloch county, Ca, lady has six sons
each OF whom is six feet three quarter inch
es tall. She says the way she drew them
out SO was by feeding them on legs of