DOI issue:
January to June, 1851
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16607#0228
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI
THE CORRECT THING FOR THE EXHIBITION.
First Little Gent. "Dash my Buttons, Arry ! That's a neat Shirt."
Second Little Gent. "Well, I rather like it Mys-elf. It's quite
my Own Idea ! "
HOW WE HUNTED THE PRINCE.
Mrs. Fitzpuss, of Baker Street, to Mrs. Macthistle,
of Klinkumpans, N. B.
" My dear Janet,
" The deluge of shillings having burst upon the Crysfal Palace,
I now have a moment's breath to tell you all about it. For the first
time—Sundays, of course, excepted—since the wonderful 1st of May,
I am again in my own little room, that was once such a dear of a
boudoir, but is now become as melancholy as a dungeon, and as cold as
an ice-house. Charles says, it is all with my living so long among the
carpets of Persia, the veils of Turkey, and the shawls and embroidery of
Cachemire—and there may be something in it; for ever since the 1st of
May, I 've driven directly after early breakfast to the Palace of that
great Jin, Paxton, in Hyde Park, where for hours I've done nothing
but think myself a great Princess of the Arabian Nights, with the
Koh-i-noor my own property, whenever I liked to wear it.
"You may therefore judge, my own Janet, what it was to come
home every evening to Baker Street; with Charles—I will say it—in
the worst of tempers, and wickedly wishing the Crystal Palace given up
to Col. Sibthorp to blow into millions of shivers. However, knowing
that the mob would be let in like a torrent on the 26th, I was resolved
to have the last minute out of my season-ticket, which Charles,
when he bought for me—as he has since had the ill-nature to
say -little thought ' would have the effect of making me forget my
own fireside, my own husband, and my own family.' As if, whea the
24th was over, I shouldn't forget the Arabian Nights, the Persian
carpets, the Turkish veils, and be as dull as ever. But even these
sights—even these wonders, amongst which thousands of us ladi-s
walked and sat, and sat and walked, like Queens on their coronation-day
—all this was next to nothing to the delightful pleasure of attending
Prince Albert wherever he went, swarming about him—as an old
gentleman observed—like bees about a furze bush.
" You must know, my dear, that the Queen and the Prince are the
earliestof risers; therefore, you may guess—no, you can't, living in the
wild wilderness you live in—but you might., if you knew something
more of London-life—you might, I say, guess what it was to be up and
out and in the Glass Palace by a little past nine every morning, to be
ready for the Queen and the Prince ; that they mightn't stir a foot
without your following 'em. Well, as luck would have it, one morning
his Royal Highness came alone. I confess it; I have felt a little put
back—somewhat abashed by the mild, reproving glances of the Queen ;
but for His Royal Highness Prince Albert—it was plain from the
moment he entered, that he had not the heart to look coldly upon
ladies; and so, my love, you may be sure we made the most of bis
condescension!
" In a word, my dear, we never left him. Living where you live,
you have heard a good deal of the excitement—the wild pleasure—of
hunting stags; of deer-stalking. Bless you, Janet, it can be nothing
J,o the delight of hunting a Prince ; and hunting him so close, that you
may have, for the rest of your life, every look and line of the royal
countenance for ever impressed upon your loyal and devoted heart. I
am sure, for my part—never, never can I forget the expression of His
Koyal Highness Prince Albert, on the--of May, in the Glass
Exhibition. But how should I ? when I was all but a hair's-breadth
upon his royal toes, the crowd of ladies so pushing one another, that,
upon my word, my love, I thought for a minute of the Christmas
gallery of a playhouse—it was more like it than the elite—for there
were many of our locale present—of Baker Street. But then the
Prince was so affable—so kind ! And though, perhaps—I say, perhaps
—His Royal Highness would have liked to be left a Uttle to himself,
studying the commerce and things of all nations,— still he never so much
as frowned; but, with the best of breeding, smiled; I say, with the
best of breeding—for I am sure it must have taken the royal mind a
little trouble to do so.
" You will laugh, my dear, when I tell you that we positively followed
His Royal Highness from one end of the world to another. When he
dropped in upon the East Indies, there we were at Bombay, Calcutta,
Madras, and Singapore. When he made a move towards China, to
China we followed him ! When he made for Switzerland, with His
Royal Highness we enjoyed the bracing air of that land of William
Tell. When he drew up before the Queen of Spain's jewels, didn't we
all so cluster about that it nearly took three policemen to what they
vulgarly called, ' break the ring!'
"But all pleasures—even the delight of Prince-hunting—must have
an end !—Here I am at hojne again, in my own dull, dingy corner;
and though, now and then, I lean back in my chair, and, shutting my
eyes^ do almost see those dashing carpets—those dear veils—those loves
of shawls—still I cannot wholly dismiss the sad feeling—the shocking
conviction—that I am again at home—again in Baker Street—again
restored—as Charles said, this very day, with a grim, unearthly smile
—restored to the circle of my family, with all its duties.
"I suppose, my love, that, after a time, I shall get reconciled to the
change. In the meantime, bestow your dearest wishes, and best
sympathy, upon your affectionate and melancholy friend,
"Julia Fitzpuss.
"P.S.—On Monday the Glass Palace is thrown open to the mob. I
shudder for the consequences. Is it not as if Cinderella's glass-slipper
was to be tried by the horrid giant that wore seven-leagued ooots ? Ihe
Saturdays still remain for us; but, after the mob, will they—can they
—be endurable? Of course the Queen and Prince—they are gone to
Osborne—will never visit the Crystal Temple more!
"Baker Street, May 24^, 10p.m."
THE BRITISH BROOM GIRLS.
oubtless it is not generally
known that there is a large
class of useful servants of the
public, the " Street Orderlies,"
whose services are not only not
remunera' ed, but are even ren-
dered at a considerable expense
to themselves: as the apparatus
which they use for sweeping
the streets is not supplied either
by the parish, or the Commis-
sioners of Sewers, or any public
association for promoting the
office of scavenger. Indeed, their
utility had been altogether un-
acknowledged till Mr. Paxton,
the ofher day, speaking, at the
banquet given to the foreign
Commissioners at Richmond, of the unexpected cleanliness of the
Crystal Palace floor, said that
" As a policeman had remarked to him, the building had been kept completely clean
by the rich silk dresses of the ladies."
Mr. Paxton had devised some contrivances expressly for sweeping
out his Palace ; but these have been rendered superfluous by the ladies'
trains ; which, in fact, are everywhere superseding besoms. Of course,
it is in consequence of the length of her garments that the fair
pedestrian, in perambulating our thoroughfares, interferes with the
operations of the regular dustman. He, indeed, may complain that
long dresses, in gathering up the dust, take the bread out of his mouth :
but the public is the gainer by this admirable fashion, so well calculated
THE CORRECT THING FOR THE EXHIBITION.
First Little Gent. "Dash my Buttons, Arry ! That's a neat Shirt."
Second Little Gent. "Well, I rather like it Mys-elf. It's quite
my Own Idea ! "
HOW WE HUNTED THE PRINCE.
Mrs. Fitzpuss, of Baker Street, to Mrs. Macthistle,
of Klinkumpans, N. B.
" My dear Janet,
" The deluge of shillings having burst upon the Crysfal Palace,
I now have a moment's breath to tell you all about it. For the first
time—Sundays, of course, excepted—since the wonderful 1st of May,
I am again in my own little room, that was once such a dear of a
boudoir, but is now become as melancholy as a dungeon, and as cold as
an ice-house. Charles says, it is all with my living so long among the
carpets of Persia, the veils of Turkey, and the shawls and embroidery of
Cachemire—and there may be something in it; for ever since the 1st of
May, I 've driven directly after early breakfast to the Palace of that
great Jin, Paxton, in Hyde Park, where for hours I've done nothing
but think myself a great Princess of the Arabian Nights, with the
Koh-i-noor my own property, whenever I liked to wear it.
"You may therefore judge, my own Janet, what it was to come
home every evening to Baker Street; with Charles—I will say it—in
the worst of tempers, and wickedly wishing the Crystal Palace given up
to Col. Sibthorp to blow into millions of shivers. However, knowing
that the mob would be let in like a torrent on the 26th, I was resolved
to have the last minute out of my season-ticket, which Charles,
when he bought for me—as he has since had the ill-nature to
say -little thought ' would have the effect of making me forget my
own fireside, my own husband, and my own family.' As if, whea the
24th was over, I shouldn't forget the Arabian Nights, the Persian
carpets, the Turkish veils, and be as dull as ever. But even these
sights—even these wonders, amongst which thousands of us ladi-s
walked and sat, and sat and walked, like Queens on their coronation-day
—all this was next to nothing to the delightful pleasure of attending
Prince Albert wherever he went, swarming about him—as an old
gentleman observed—like bees about a furze bush.
" You must know, my dear, that the Queen and the Prince are the
earliestof risers; therefore, you may guess—no, you can't, living in the
wild wilderness you live in—but you might., if you knew something
more of London-life—you might, I say, guess what it was to be up and
out and in the Glass Palace by a little past nine every morning, to be
ready for the Queen and the Prince ; that they mightn't stir a foot
without your following 'em. Well, as luck would have it, one morning
his Royal Highness came alone. I confess it; I have felt a little put
back—somewhat abashed by the mild, reproving glances of the Queen ;
but for His Royal Highness Prince Albert—it was plain from the
moment he entered, that he had not the heart to look coldly upon
ladies; and so, my love, you may be sure we made the most of bis
condescension!
" In a word, my dear, we never left him. Living where you live,
you have heard a good deal of the excitement—the wild pleasure—of
hunting stags; of deer-stalking. Bless you, Janet, it can be nothing
J,o the delight of hunting a Prince ; and hunting him so close, that you
may have, for the rest of your life, every look and line of the royal
countenance for ever impressed upon your loyal and devoted heart. I
am sure, for my part—never, never can I forget the expression of His
Koyal Highness Prince Albert, on the--of May, in the Glass
Exhibition. But how should I ? when I was all but a hair's-breadth
upon his royal toes, the crowd of ladies so pushing one another, that,
upon my word, my love, I thought for a minute of the Christmas
gallery of a playhouse—it was more like it than the elite—for there
were many of our locale present—of Baker Street. But then the
Prince was so affable—so kind ! And though, perhaps—I say, perhaps
—His Royal Highness would have liked to be left a Uttle to himself,
studying the commerce and things of all nations,— still he never so much
as frowned; but, with the best of breeding, smiled; I say, with the
best of breeding—for I am sure it must have taken the royal mind a
little trouble to do so.
" You will laugh, my dear, when I tell you that we positively followed
His Royal Highness from one end of the world to another. When he
dropped in upon the East Indies, there we were at Bombay, Calcutta,
Madras, and Singapore. When he made a move towards China, to
China we followed him ! When he made for Switzerland, with His
Royal Highness we enjoyed the bracing air of that land of William
Tell. When he drew up before the Queen of Spain's jewels, didn't we
all so cluster about that it nearly took three policemen to what they
vulgarly called, ' break the ring!'
"But all pleasures—even the delight of Prince-hunting—must have
an end !—Here I am at hojne again, in my own dull, dingy corner;
and though, now and then, I lean back in my chair, and, shutting my
eyes^ do almost see those dashing carpets—those dear veils—those loves
of shawls—still I cannot wholly dismiss the sad feeling—the shocking
conviction—that I am again at home—again in Baker Street—again
restored—as Charles said, this very day, with a grim, unearthly smile
—restored to the circle of my family, with all its duties.
"I suppose, my love, that, after a time, I shall get reconciled to the
change. In the meantime, bestow your dearest wishes, and best
sympathy, upon your affectionate and melancholy friend,
"Julia Fitzpuss.
"P.S.—On Monday the Glass Palace is thrown open to the mob. I
shudder for the consequences. Is it not as if Cinderella's glass-slipper
was to be tried by the horrid giant that wore seven-leagued ooots ? Ihe
Saturdays still remain for us; but, after the mob, will they—can they
—be endurable? Of course the Queen and Prince—they are gone to
Osborne—will never visit the Crystal Temple more!
"Baker Street, May 24^, 10p.m."
THE BRITISH BROOM GIRLS.
oubtless it is not generally
known that there is a large
class of useful servants of the
public, the " Street Orderlies,"
whose services are not only not
remunera' ed, but are even ren-
dered at a considerable expense
to themselves: as the apparatus
which they use for sweeping
the streets is not supplied either
by the parish, or the Commis-
sioners of Sewers, or any public
association for promoting the
office of scavenger. Indeed, their
utility had been altogether un-
acknowledged till Mr. Paxton,
the ofher day, speaking, at the
banquet given to the foreign
Commissioners at Richmond, of the unexpected cleanliness of the
Crystal Palace floor, said that
" As a policeman had remarked to him, the building had been kept completely clean
by the rich silk dresses of the ladies."
Mr. Paxton had devised some contrivances expressly for sweeping
out his Palace ; but these have been rendered superfluous by the ladies'
trains ; which, in fact, are everywhere superseding besoms. Of course,
it is in consequence of the length of her garments that the fair
pedestrian, in perambulating our thoroughfares, interferes with the
operations of the regular dustman. He, indeed, may complain that
long dresses, in gathering up the dust, take the bread out of his mouth :
but the public is the gainer by this admirable fashion, so well calculated