Punch (12.1847)

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

97

ALEXANDRE DUMAS-HIS (LITERARY) CREDITORS.

terest excited by the trial
in France on this subject,
to lay a case before his
friend, Mb. Briefless,

struggling to "wrest from one another
the employment they are supposed to
seek, may be observed actually pre-
tending, with the utmost delicacy, not
UNCH determined, in j to see the proffered parcel j so that
consequence^of the in- j the one to whom it is offered givts, as

it were, the refusal of the job to the
other.

There is something very touching in
this trait of brotherhood. We have
whose opinion is distin- j heard, alas ! a selfish interpretation
guished for those delight- put upon this apparent disinterested-
ful qualities which have : ness. It is said they share all they
placed him at the top— ! get, and consequently they both shirk
his chambers are on the the work as much as possible. Oh no i
third floor—of his pro- we will not allow the charming illu-
fession. sion to be dispelled so easily. Wecan-

1 he following is the im- : not, we do not believe that there is an
portant document, which | understanding between the porters to
will be read by the lawy er share the fees, and that the one who
and the UtSrcOeur withies least gets the easiest life with
equal interest :— j the same pay as his companion. For

opinion. ! the credit, of human nature, and for

the honour of British porterhood, we
reject so base an insinuation. Let
the passing stranger mark the bene-
volent faces, or listen for a moment to
the friendly converse of the two offi-
cials, and it will be impossible to
doubt the genuineness of their disin-
terested regard for each other.

" I am of opinion, that
Monsieur Dumas is not
exempt, on the score of
genius, from the fulfil-
ment of a legal contract;
for he might, on the same
plea, refuse to pay his
washerwoman; & though
genius is often exceedingly
irregular in the settle-
ment of pecuniary claims,
I think it would be dan-
gerous to allow such a ! An evening paper contains an ad-
r to be regarded as a legal set-off to an action. There are, I j vertisement, intimating that " An old

several cases in the books_I mean the tradesmen's books—to ! established house in London is in want

show that poetry and punctual!tv in cash payments are incompatible ; of a thorough first-rate man of business
but this doctrine has been since overruled by a more wholesome j as a Country Eepresentative." As the
practice. | " Country Representatives " in the

"I am further of opinion, that Monsieur Dumas is not exempt from j House of Commons, or those who call

An Opening for Xord George.

the obligation to fulfil his engagement because he has received some
money in advance, for though this has been the custom to a very great
extent, I do not think it is so invariable as to make it what is called a
good custom, for it has been interrupted occasionally—though I own
very rarely—within the time of what is termed legal memory.

"I am strongly of opinion, that great allowances should be made for
literary men, but it is rather too great an allowance to be allowed a
large sum without doing any work for it.

"Upon the whole case I am of opinion, that Monsieur Dumas is en-
titled to some consideration ; for the publishers, in making a contract
with him to produce more than he was physically capable of bringing
forth, entered into what may be called a nudum pactum, which is void
on the score of impossibility. I am aware it is the practice to regard
the head of an author as a piece of machinery which may be constantly
worked without exhaustion ; but I am nevertheless clearly of opinion,
that, such expectations being unreasonable, the publishers have no right
to demand their fulfilment.

" On the whole, therefore, I am of opinion, that I can form no opinion
at all, which is perhaps the most strictly professional course that I can
follow. I certainly have no opinion of Monsieur Dumas after what
has occurred, and I need, I am sure, offer no opinion ou the impropriety
of entering iuto a contract with a journal, and leaving the contract to
its own fulfilment.

" j. Briefless."

THE TEMPLE PORTERS.

It is said that two of a trade never agree ; but this odious maxim is completly controverted by
the delightful harmony that exists between the porters of the Temple. The two white-aproned and
pewter-badged functionaries who stand at the gate under Honey and Skelton's, late Henry VIII.
and Wolsey's, are more like brothers than opposition messengers. It is beautiful to watch the
harmony in which they pass their days. Nor does the approach of a customer occasion any
disturbance of the friendly relations existing between them. There is no indecent struggle for a letter,
no impetuous rush at a carpet bag, no violent plunge into the middle of a message, which is being
entrusted to one ia the presence of the other. It would seem that the pewter badge subdues the heart-
burnings that might otherwise be in active operation beneath, and that the white apron is the emblem
of peacefulness.

We have often watched these friendly functionaries with the most earnest interest, and marked the
amiable intercourse which goes on between them, without the smallest touch of that envy and jealousy

•which acts like aqua fortis in corroding all the finer feelings of our nature. We are sure that an j will contain " Four Portraits of the
Ode to Friendship might be inspired by a contemplation of the porters of the Temple, who, so far from ! Author."

themselves so, par excellence, are likely
to be very much out of place for some
time to come, we do not see that they
can do better than offer themselves as
Country Representatives to the old
London house, which appears to be in
want of their services.

WHERE WILL IT END ?

Mr. Bentley has published a book
"with two portraits of the author."
Hitherto authors have only done the
thing by halves ; but we suppose the
two portraits are for the purpose of
giving the front and back view of the
author, as is done in giving the por-
trait of a large mansion ;—or was one
portrait done for the first edition, and
the other for the second ? Perhaps
they are profile and full-face, or there
may be a difference in curling the hair ;
or they may not both have whiskers,
or one may be in robe de chambre, and
the other in full-dress ; or, who knows?
—the second portrait may be taken of
the author " on horse back," whilst the
first only shows him cross-legged in
his arm-chair. We shall not be easy
till we have seen these two portraits,
as there must be something very extra-
ordinary upon the face of them to in-
duce an author to pledge himself to
the public, and present them also with
the duplicate. It is a bit of extrava-
gance which not all the fine writing in
the world can redeem. We know
what the consequences of this " duplex
movement" will be : the next book
Mr. Harrison Ainsworth publishes