Punch (10.1846)

154 PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

with any formality, except at the minor theatres, where various
THE HAPPY PEASANTRY. countries are freed by the leading tragedian, who gives liberty to

Switzerland, to Spain, or to Italy, according to the place in which is
laid the scene of the drama he is the temporary hero of.

Free Trade. The liberty of trading with other countries, unfet-
tered by restrictive duties. To the monopolists, such trade is far
more free than welcome.

Friendly Societies. Institutions founded for mutual benefit, but
too often leading to disputes, and occasionally to the unlawful dis-
appearance of " the box," with all the assets. Friendly Societies are
a great improvement on the old Benefit Clubs, where, by paying
1 sLxpence a week for a few months, a member became entitled to
support during the remainder of his existence. The result generally
• was a row, followed by the breaking up of the club, and not
1 unfrequently the total evaporation of the treasurer.

TO GOVERNESSES.

The Duke of Newcastle seems to be a first-rate painter of happy

We have received the subjoined letter, addressed by a lady—a very
gorgeous lady, no doubt—to a governess .—

" Mrs. H-s compliments to Miss S-begs to acknowledge the

receipt of her note of this morning and should not engage with any
young -person unless she were compotent of teaching singing, my eldest
daughter is sixteen years of age, the second thirteen, the youngest
[daughter, of course] a little boy ten. The -parson who has now left lias
resided five years with us, as teacher to my family her salary never
exceeded sixteen pounds paying her own laundressy, she was thoroughly

near

peasantry ; and his latest sketch of agricultural labourers is peculiarly \ c°f P°tent °*. tuition in every respect should Miss S-feel compotent

rich and felicitous. He pictures them as " that humble but most te- j g^^g ^j*™8 C ^ H-S WOuM W1§h hCT t0 namC Sakry a"d

serving class upon whose industry and labour the wealthiest merchants ^ P ar
and producers depend ; as, in turn, the workman depends upon his
employer for ample remuneration, in the shape of liberal wages." The
dependence may be mutual ; but there can be no doubt the wealthy
merchant gets much the better of it. The breach of confidence is all
on his side, the disappointment all on the side of the labourer.

According to the Duke's account, the workman is a being devoted to

•• Aylesbury.

"January 1846.

It is plain that Mrs. H. (from the style of her letter) is, to use her
own phrase, " compotent" to judge of the scholastic powers of any
sportive pleasure, and oppressed by plethora. He has nothing to do VOung " person." And she therefore offers sixteen pounds to the sue-
but to perform his daily work, and receive his " ample remuneration m cessor of tne person» who has - now left>» Sixteen pounds a year
the shape of liberal wages. Our artist has endeavoured to carry out for gtuffi her chi]dreQ ^ « ^ reSpect." What may

this pleasant picture, conceived bv the fertile imagination ot the Duke af tt . t, „ . . . .. , , <

of Newcastle. We very much fear, however, that, after alL H- &™ t0 th<; Personu m, ]]\kl chen stuffs ^ geese and

ducks i Scarcely less, we should thmk, than <tlo per annum,—but
" It is but Fancy's sketch." then, to be sure, it is more important properly to stuff geese and ducks

_ 1 with sage and onion, than young ladies and "a little boy of ten" with

" tuition in every respect."

PUNCH'S POLITICAL DICTIONARY.

Flotsam. That part of a wreck which remains floating in the
water, and if not claimed within a year, goes to the Sovereign. If,
however, a man gets into hot-water, and is only just able to keep his
head above it, though the bark of his fortune may be a wreck, his head,
which is in the condition of Flotsam, does not become forfeited.

Forestalling. The buying up of a commodity to cause a mo-

THE AMERICAN LINE.

If President Polk means mischief to his country and the whole
civilised world, he will speedily begin mustering forces with a view to
hostilities with Great Britain. What the organisation of the American
army is, we do not know, but the following corps, we should think,
form a distinguished portion of it. The Kentucky Gougers ; the
nopoly in the hands of one person. This used to be unlawful, but; is , Bowie-Knife Brigade; the Sword-Stick Division; the Revolving
so no longer ; and, if I publish a tragedy, I may go and forestall it ; Barrelleers. We might also mentiou the Auxiliary Niggers ; but we
that is to say, prevent its getting on to the book-stalls, by buying up i suspect that this regiment is not exactly to be depended on. We still
evtjry copy of it. I hope, however, that peace will ultimately be preserved, and that the

Forest Laws. At the Norman Conquest, all animals of chase be- j affair will end with Bombastes' address to his followers ;—" Begone
came vested in the Crown, and William had all the wild beasts of the | brave army, and don't kick up a row."
kingdom settled upon himself and hrs heirs for ever. Hunting the
stag was then expressly forbidden ; and there is no doubt there are
many stags of the present day who would like to see the Forest Laws re-
vived, so far as to prohibit the practice of stag-hunting. The Conqueror
is said to have possessed an immense number of forests, and 781 parks. But,
probably, some of these parks were no bigger than that of Whetstone.

Forgery. From the French forger, to heat metal and hammer it ;
but what this derivation can have to do with signing another man's
name, is by no means evident.

News for Bugeaud.

We have been credibly informed that Abd-el-Kader is living at
Algiers. He has never left the capital for the last six years, excepting
when Marshal Btgeaud has made grand expeditions to capture him.
On these occasions he ha3 always followed the French army. He
returned with the Marshal a fortnight back, and took up his usual
abode, two doors from the Governor's palace. He was present at the
Franchise. A synonymous term with liberty, though the elective i harangue of the Marshal to his troops, and laughed heartily at the

franchise is often a badge of slavery.

Fraudulent Conveyance. A term applied to an illegal transfer of
land, but the every-day illustration of a fraudulent conveyance, is a
cab, the driver of which demands double his legal fare ; or an omni-
bus which undertakes to set you down at one part of the town, and

allusions to himself. The French Government is perfectly welcome to
make any use it pleases of our intelligence.

WORKS of imaginatiox.
Mr. Ferrand has received an offer from Louis Philippe to superin-
leaves you in another. tend that fine imaginative work which is published in bulletins, the

Freedom : ride Liberty. "Britons never, never, never shall be French Telegraph. His Majesty offered this appointment to the talented
slaves," " Rule Britannia," &c, &c. Freedom is now seldom bestowed Member immediately after reading one or two of his speeches.