Punch (7.1844)

10 PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

THE COMIC BLACKSTONE.

prologue to part ii.

he Second Part of Blackstonf. touches on
Real Property—though, by-the-bye, any pro-
perty that is not real, can scarcely be called
property at all—and this division of the
subject is said to comprise the rights of
things, which, as everybody likes to know
the rights of things, will be a very popular
topic with the multitude.

chapter the first.— 0f real property ;
and first, uk corporeal heredita-
ments.

The Law of England distributes things into
two kinds—real and personal ; though we
should personally be really sorry to leave our things to be distributed by
the .law, for if we did, we should not expect to see much more of them.
Things real are such as are fixed and immovable, which cannot be carried
out of their place, such as a Ministry that will not resign, and looks upon
itself as the real thing, or just the thing, to carry on the Government.
Lands are called things real, because they cannot be moved ; but goods
are called personal, because they can be moved, as landlords sometimes
find out when they discover that the moon has been cruelly shot by an
unprincipled tenant. In treating of things real, we shall consider—First,
their sorts ; but, by-the-bye, those individuals who have nothing that is
real, must be terribly out of sorts : Secondly, the tenures by which things
real may be holden—we have seen a man at a fair hold a real red-hot
poker in his hand, but by what tenure we never could find out : Thirdly,
the estates which may be had in them : and Fourthly, the title to them,
or how they may be got, and how they may be lost, the latter being a point
that the law is very fond of arriving at. Things real consist in lands,
tenements, and hereditaments. Land means anything substantial, but it
don't mean a substantial dinner—tenement means anything that can be
holden, though it don't mean a woman's tongue, which the owner can
hold sometimes—and an hereditament means anything that can be in-
herited.

Hereditaments are of two kinds—corporeal and incorporeal; the
first of which will be treated of in the present chapter. Corporeal here-
ditaments can only be such as affect the senses, though it is not necessary
they should be calculated to drive people mad ; nor was the Cock Lane
Ghost, who frightened a few individuals out of their wits, a corporeal
hereditament. They may all be comprised under the name of Land,
which signifies any ground or Soil whatever, so that a flower-pot with
mould in it is the lowest species of real property, though when it is on the
outside of an attic window, it assumes a somewhat higher position.
Land also includes castles, except, perhaps, castles in the air. Water is
also Land in the eye of the law, because the law takes a dry view of
everything, and looks not at the water, but at the ground beneath it.

Land also comprises everything above and everything beneath it, so
that the owner of the soil may carry a building to any height he pleases,
even as far as the very clouds themselves, which would, perhaps, be the
height of absurdity. He may also go downwards, to the very centre of
the earth, but if he went beyond that point, the landlord at the immediate
antipodes would have an action of trespass. Land, therefore, does not
mean the mere face of the earth, but the very "bowels of the land," which
Richmond, when he seemed bent on showing his dominion over the soil,
expressed his intention of marching into. If a man grants only water, he
grants nothing but a right of fishing, which may be called possession with
a hook, and can scarcely be said to descend in a right line to one's
posterity. By the title of water nothing passes, except a right of fishing,
though, by-the-bye, water itself often passes by the title of milk—hut by
the name of land anything terrestrial will pass, except, perhaps, fullers'
earth, which is the only instance that we are aware of, in which the
earth itself cannot be regarded as real property.

Tire! Tire I

Incendiarism is rife in Suffolk, where the devouring element is making
a pretty progress. A shilling or two a week of extra wages would insure
the whole of the property ; but the farmers unaccountably neglect the
precaution. Is it possible that they are ignorant of the efficacy of that
well-known fluid, Beer, and those familiar substances, Bread and Fat
Bacon, in extinguishing this species of combustion ? Agricultural
Chemistry must be in a very backward state in Suffolk.

mean stratagem.

The French papers are accusing the English Government of importing
into Morocco a quantity of arms and ammunition. If the " Albert Cap " is
ftmongst them, we can feel for the alarm of our neighbours, as the French
sfroups, we will be bound, have not yet seen anything like it.

THE GRAHAM LETTERS.

[private and confidential.]

It appears that Sir James Graham has not confined the civility,
which tempts him to break seals, to the ambassador of Sardinia.
No ; we find that Sir James has been for some time in correspond-
ence with many of the potentates of the world ; all of whom had
cause to fear that treason dangerous to their thrones was constantly-
passing through the English Post-Office. The letters addressed to
Sir James have fallen into the hands of Punch, who, profiting by the
example of the Home Secretary, immediately opened them. We
give the contents of two of the epistles.

"Mulet Abderrahman, Emperor of Morocco, to the Great
Graham, health and greeting !

" Whereas, the Emperor believes that one Ben Ali Ben Momo,
his lawful subject, is at the present time dwelling in Ratcliffe-High-
way, for the wicked purpose of carrying the fire and sword of
rebellion into the happy city of Timbuctoo,—the Emperor prays of
the magnificent Graham (whose name is sweeter than roses), that
he will teize all letters coming to the said Ben Ali Ben Momo, and
straightway send faithful copies thereof to the Emperor, who will
remember the pious Graham in his prayers.

" The Emperor herewith sends to the mighty Graham the Order
of the Umbrella !

" The Emperor should not omit to say that Ben Ali Ben Momo
(son of a dog, as he is !) is frequently changing his house and occu-
pation. Sometimes the Emperor is informed he is to be found, with
a broom in his hand, near the Alley of the Cranbourn."'

" Pomare, Queen of Tahiti, cries to the compassionate Graham in
her distress- Her heart is smitten, and her name made a by-word
by Owyhapteeki, who is now dwelling in London. The said
Owyhapteeki is her lawful subject, and is now fomenting treason
in the great city with six French dancers, men and women, that by
such treason Queen Pomare may be sent prisoner to Paris, and her
kingdom become the property of France. Queen Pomare believes
that some of her wicked subjects at Tahiti write letters to Owyhap-
teeki ; and she therefore pi ays that the glorious Graham, faithful
servant of her dear sister Victoria, will not fail to seize upon all
such letters, and without delay send them to Tahiti by a fast-sailing
ship. It is only by such means—as Queen Pomare from her soul
believes—that nations can be united in a flowery bond one with
another. It is only by breaking the seals of their letters, that the
hearts of subjects are to be properly known. Blessed is England,
blessed with a Graham ! Happy land, with such a man of post-office
wax !

" Queen Pomare feels it necessary to advise the magnificent
Graham of the guile and craft of Owyhapteeki. Sometimes he
is to be seen, carrying a parrot in a cage for sale ; sometimes slip-
pers ; sometimes, that he may the better disguise his treasonous
intentions against bis mother-land Tahiti, he offers to the good and
unsuspecting English bamboo-canes and cocoa-nuts.

"Queen Pomare has only another prayer to put up to the great
heart of Graham. It is this ; w hich, with affection for her dear
sister Victoria, she hopes will be granted. Queen Pomare intends
to establish the penny post throughout her vast dominions ; that, in-
structed by the wisdom of the all-knowing Graham, she may the
better learn the sentiments of her subjects towards her. As, however,
Queen Pomare's people are as children before the subjects of her
dear sister Victoria, she prays of the bountiful Graham that he
will delay not to send to Tahiti a cunning man instructed after the
great Graham's heart, who can turn letters inside out, break seals,
and undo wafers.

" This Queen Pomare prays of the great Graham ; and also prays
for him, that he may meet with that sweet reward his virtues here on
earth deserve !"

There are other letters of the like nature from Abd-el-Kader, the
Dictator Santa Anna, and the Pope. We have, however, no space
for them.

eastern munificence.
At the Beaumont Literary Institution in the East, there was a benefit
concert given a few nights since to the distressed sempstresses ; where-
upon the members—one and all —desired to attend for nothing. Why
did they not also bargain that their shirts should be made at half-price ?