New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-04
OLD MEMORIES OF AN ARTIST.

CHEESE"
To the Editor Of Trfbun.
SIR: Al pretty litth house on Noting Hill near
Lor ilollon's Park. Il its,Genc, OF gentleman
connected with large ondon publish ng house. I
oIco met g. II. Loves. the author II the Bio
graohical History OF Phlos, by, all afterwsrd
husband of George Eliot. TLeIe were resent be-
sides Mr. Lewes and myself Dir. Dash, DIR host his
"iie and daughter, very sweet youIg lady OF
ABOUT eighteen OF ageand two other children
Il boy aud girl. OF probably eleven and twelve. L
had recently been reading Lewes's History. and. IL
ala not exactly expect to hear learned discourse
on all the worlds philosophers from Thales to Lord
Bacon, was at least prepared for grave aud schos
ary utterances; 1t may therefore be readily imags
ned that was completely cycloned to hear him
gathering over forbidden grounds with the hoofs
of dray-hOrse. Much of his discourse, which was
wholly of bantering nature directed toward the
ladies. was scarcely fit for ears polite, aud such
never had before nor have since heard in the pres.
ence of ladies'.
He was IN exceedingly homely man, terribly nit.
ted with the small poA, aud crow ned with "a huge
bushy head of grayish hair. He rold us how thu
street boys called after him Oh. my eye look at
that cove! There goes head of hair for cat to
kitten in and al say. Bill, twIg his nibs Let us
borrer him for guy and go shares in the profits,
and of another nrchin who accosted him withi
=
earn the price of pint Of beeri I'll carry that
thing on yer ed to the station fur tuDpence" Some
of these little incidents he told us he had repeated
to Carlyle, who exclaimed with much warmth
" Ech, mon cud ma stan thawt. Ia joOst fetch the
feew "a aud the sentence was finished by Vigor.
Gus pantOmimic action of the hand indicative Of
box on the Then he ratified on la "A bOisterUus
way with some more than broad nnuendoes as TO
tain assumed indiscretions the part of Mrs. DASH
with such occasional hints to the status of Mr..
Dash as ordinarily result in call Tor pistols and
coffee for two but al of which was taken and re-
FLIED to quite good naturally by husband. wife and
daughter, and that too without any sign of rosness
about the forehead aud temples whereas am
WINGED that had been shaved on the spot the back
of my head would have shone like tomato. And
so SIR. Lewes aud MS friends exchanged badInage
for the remainder Of the VISIT
Leading ont Of Fleet-st. in London. not far
from tho Punch office. is narrow passage called
Wine Office Court, in which Is situated memorable
tavern named the Old Cheshire Cheese favorita
resort OF DR.. Johnson Goldsmith, aud their friends.
Twenty years ago this tavern Was In precisely the
same order and condition in the days OF the great
LexicOgraphcr, and here thirty odd, or perhaps
forty odd years ago, Dickens, Thackeray. Jerrold,
Hood and all that brilliant band used frequently
TO take their steaks aud chops. And here thirty
odd years ago used to meet small circle Of bright
young fellows who freqnented it partly out OF rev.
ereuce for tho associations which chung 20 ITS dlngy
walls and partly because its viands were excellent,
but chiefly because it WAS close to several PUBLISH
ing houses. and especially to that of Henry We.
tey, the printer and eminent woOdengraver, who
Published comic paper called The Pappet ShoT
with which several of US were connected. Among
those who frequented the Cheshire Cheese wers
Gayarni, tne famous French artist: James Han"
nav. Henry sutherland Edwardsi Sydney Blanche
ard, James Brldgeman, Henry and Horace May.
hew Kenny Meadows, the brothers Brough,
Blanchard Jerrold. William North and i'"".1
Clapp. Ca.arni. thon avrvfuzvo, was engageu III
making collection OF sketches of English character
which were being published in monthly parts under
the title of Gararal ia London. They were admi-
ra bic drawings. but with few exceptions failed to
express the English character. lie received six
cnreas each for tho drawings. Vizetelly was tho
publ her but doubt whether nc found The enter.
prise profitable ono.
Gavarn was sIngularly handsome man. with
light wa,y hair ana long double pointed beard,
and had the reputation of being man OF bonnie or
tine with the fair sex. On one occasion whea
asked whether IL was necessary lOr car
Icatur'st to he master oil drawing; nc
Ieplied: "Oh, no; the less earl atuIish
knows about drawing the better; 1t cramps ing
extravagance.' In making his designs Gavarni
nsed to draw directly on the stone or mtou WIN.
ont any preliminary paper sketch: John "li1ere
used to do tho same and worked Win great rapiu,,
ltv making great deal OF money. have heard
that he wOud often tell the publishers ooy to blt
down and walt while he made ten guinea Draw
ing Which was required IN haste. Kenny Meadows.
who illustrated Knights Shakespeare, made most
finished drawings on paper first and then careiuily
traced them on wood.
James Uaunay who afterw ard made quite rep
utaIiOn i'm England rs a sci Olar and novelist wrote
Singleton FOntenOy" and several other works
and VAS afterward Editor or Inc Ed'H0agh COHrdn''
and subsequently London magistrate an Gu,
yiahle position socially and financially. ne uet
AZ Brit sh Consdl at Lisbon He was 0rlllans
man OF very pronounced preludices and predlectlns
the most prominent of which was an intense re'rr'
ence for OF rather glory in, birtn and rauk. He
hapitualy spoke of the bourgeois with naughty
disdain as The Z" middle classes" and everyone
below them as the slower orders and OF all NOT
Il indisputably gentle birth rs Dlebs." " Tho
idea" he would often exclaim with Affected AFRO
pauce to particular fIlend. OF these pleDs pre-
Stunning in the presence oil you ana me. on tclowy
who by tad. sir, came over With the Morn ans
lie was % brilliant speaker and IN order TO pfaetise
as we'll as ar this gilt he wonld attend ,n1 uts.
cnssion halls many of winch are held regularly
in room 8 attached 10 pubic-houses Here ne wOulu
take strong grounds on any subject that might turn
up, aud indulge IN the most violent phllIppic Jdss
for fun. effect and practice. remember tnst no
once leaped to MS feet when some llId 3lu orator.
IN abiding to Lord Nelson said that he believeh MS
death occurred abOut lSu3, AMI r0arei ONT SlT,
Lord Nelson died on the deck of HIS Majesty snip
Victory in the arms of Captain Hardy ~ the Dattie
of Trafalgar, at o'clock IN the afternoon Oh h tne
an asa would know" At another time he turned
bauOhtily upon al opp0nenI win: now uaIo
can sir presume upon such familiarity with gen
fleman-you, who are doubtless the llIegltinate
snn OF an insolvent washerwomanT good deal
of This was burlesque on his part, ami he used 10
Ianch over it heartily afterward. lie was grcas
hero. worshippcr, adoring Tbackersy, and isnay-
son AMI was very intimate personally WIN INC
fr,,'ar of whom he told many kindly stories His
ADMIRATION for Tennyson was well illustrated ny
his spending almost his last penny III the pircnasS
or In Memoram" the moment ~ was u uu LIE ,he
7 can remember his rushing into my room WIN the
volume in his hand in the highest state Of eAI' "a
I'LL oJ bis t,easure of TO q tavern wbeio we in-
dnlgei in modest repast of bread and cheese and
beer. ~ 400, 'h"->N D'''"'