Punch: Punch (11.1846)

Eijt 3£mperot antj t^e Nun.

The Pope—good fellow !—is gulled ; and England especially fobbed
of her sympathy and indignation under false pretence. There is no
Abbess of Minsk. No aged nun tortured under the auspices of that
devout Christian, the Emperor Nicholas—" one so tender of his own
Church's purity, as in practice to surrender his prerogative to the
Holy Synod in the nomination of the Russian Bishops."—No ; the
whole story is a wicked flam, invented to slander the best of emperors.
This, avers "Howell J. Phillips, M.A.," in the broad-sheet of the
Times. And how we have been softened by the late interview between
the Pope and the Abbess ; of the visit made and returned ! And the
Abbess is, after all, nominis umbra; an invention of those Jesuit penny-
a-liners, so tremendously exposed at the " Horns," Kennington, by the
profound Mackworth ! Oh! Lady D ctferin ! why did you bring
water to our eyes with those sweet verses, all about " The Emperor and
the Nun !" Give us back our tears ; for we will not be cheated of
those precious commodities, as they are not to be lightly and lavishly
thrown away.

There is no Abbess of Minsk, say3 Mr. Phillips : we must, however,
have some better authority than his, ere we can believe in her non-
entity. Should the Emperor, however, chance to want a new throne,
Mr. Phillips is quite ready to give him a character from his last
place. He is " the most accomplished Prince in Europe." By the
way, every Prince is ; the Prince of Darkness (if he keep a Phillips,)
included. He is, moreover, " the best of husbands and fathers." How
does Mr. Howell Phillips know ? To be sure, if we doubted the
despot's veneration for the conjugal tie, we should cease to do so, recol-
lecting that he never separated husbands and wives by thousands, to
people Siberia ; and that he is so excellent a father, he could not—ho w
could he—kidnap babes from Poland.

And who is " Howell J. Phillips, M. A. ? " We know not ; care
not. Bat, doubtless, the Parcels' Delivery cart will, in due season, find
him but, with a fitting present from Nicholas—sent through his am-
bassador. Possibly it may be a snuff-box set with diamonds ; though,
for our part, considering the quantity of scented soap Phillips has
expended upon the Emperor, we think he would be more fittingly
rewarded by a present of good Russia towelling.

DREADFUL OUTRA.GE OX THE CONTINENT.

Particulars have been sent to the Hue and Cry, of a most daring
robbery that has been committed at Cracow. It seems that when
everything was quiet, three notorious offenders got into the grounds
by force, broke through a treaty that stood in their way, demolished
everything of value they found in the houses of legislature, turned
the whole concern topsy-turvy, and have not left a vestige of the old
place standing. One of the offenders, who is well known to the police
by the name of Austria, is still in possession. His two confederates
have been content with their share of the booty, and have returned to
their old haunts. Their designations are Russia and Prussia. No
means have been taken as yet for the restoration of the stolen property.
It is supposed that the authorities are holding back in the hopes of a
reward being offered.

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