The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-09-03
ENGLISH HUMOR.
Hov the London /" Punch" Originated.
london Soniatv

| LONDON society," -..
Punch first saw light in Crane Court,
Fleet street, in the very house where
the first PARIS Lille Pill was rolled into
existence. Mr.. Herbert Ingraham (af-
forwards M. p. for his native town of
Boston, Linconshire), was then "push-
ing" that well-known patent medicine,
the proprietorship of which Mark Lem
on eventually persuaded him to relin-
! quish, not only on the score of personal
dignity, but on moral grounds, and in
the interest of the illustrated News.
The idea of Pdnch was the joint work
of Henry MAYHEM and Mark Lemon.
Mr.. Last says he first mentioned pro-
posal for comic and satirical journal.
Mr.. Holder says the idea originated
with Mr.. Mayhem, who mentioned it to
him. Mark Lemon always spoke of it
to me as the project of himself and
Mayhem. 1t is pretty certain, however,
that the first meeting upon the matter
| took place some time in June, 1S41, at
Mark Lemons house in Newcastle street,
Strand, and that Mr.. Last, the printer,
and Mr.. Henry Mayhem were present.
Mr.. Lemon and Mr.. Mayhem both un-
dertook to communicate with writer's and
artists. Mr.. Last mentioned Mr.. Eben-
ezer Landells as a good engraver. A
few DAYS afterwards meeting was held
at the Edin burgh Castle, in the Strand,
at which Douglas Jerrold, Henry May
hew, Stirling Coyne. Landells, the en-
graver, and William Newman and Arch
ibald Henning (artists) were there. Mr..
Henry BayIiss and Mr.. Holder were
present as lockers on. Several authors
who did not attend were written to for
contributions, including Mr.. Gilbert
a'Beckett, II. P. Grattan and w. Fl.
Wills. 1t was arranged that Mr.. Hen
ming should be the principal artist, and
he was to have the assistance of Mr..
Newman, Mr.. Brine and M. Phillips.
Mark Lemon had drawn up the pros
pectus. . -.u
This was written on blue foolscap
paper. It was at first intended to call
the paper the Funny Dog; or, the Lon
| don Charivarl, allusion being made to
funny dogs with comic tales, Mark
Lemon, it will be seen, had actually
| begun the title, writing as far as the
| Fun but this was afterwards struck
out, and Punch inserted. The first idea,
it must be confessed on all hands, like
many other clever ideas, was an adapta-
ton from the French. The second title
was agreed upon the beginning, and was
discovered accidentally, like many great
er inventions. At the Edinburgh castle
meeting there was the customary badin.
age that brightens the conversation of
literary men Somebody suggested
that the paper, like good mixture of
punch, would be nothing without a fair
modicum of Lemon, when Henry May
hew, beaming with delight, exclaimed,
GA capital idea Let us call the paper
Punch /" There is nothing new under
the sun. Somebody else then remem-
bered that Douglas Jerrold had once
edited a paper called the Penny Punch.
CONSERVATION for five minutes. The
mystic spirit of copyright cast its shad-
dow over the meeting. But on examin-
alton it turned out to be only the shadow
it had always been, and the title of
Punch was fearlessly written down.
This is Mr.. Lasts version in the main,
and it was generally indorsed, with only
slight alterations over cigar one sum
mfr day, long ago, at the late editors
transformations cottage in lis faVorite
village of Crawley.