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.56

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[August 11, 1855.

COMPLIMENTARY,

Bus Driver. " Now then, out of the way, YOU TWO ! "

THE VALUE OF A NAME.

• We have often been struck by the sentimental earnestness of some
respectable old beggar on the stage, who honestly announcing the
emptiness of his pockets, begins to puff away at his own integrity with
a force which might make a blacksmith blush for the feebleness of his
bellows. " Ah, my children ! " roars out occasionally some seedy stage
veteran, "Ah, my children! though I cannot leave ye land, or gold,
I can bequeath to ye a still nobler inheritance, an untarnished name" ;
which, by the way, might be the boast of anybody who could leave to
his heirs, executors, and assigns a well-polished brass door-plate.

We are not often in the habit of attaching much value to this very
nominal sort of estate, for an unsullied paternal name can be of little
consequence, as far as the business of life is concerned, unless the heir
wishes to make use of the name for fraudulent purposes. It does not
follow that Jones junior cannot be a scamp because Jones senior was
a respectable man, and we have therefore come to the conclusion, that
in a commercial sense, a " good name" is no very great catch by way
of inheritance. We admit the moral value of the bequest; but it is
only against the alleged pecuniary benefit to be derived from what is
commonly called a "good name" that we enter our protest.

We have, however, recently met with an instance in which a name
has brought with it such an accession of fortune as almost to justify the
clap-traps with which a stage father usually announces his intention to
leave nothing in the world but the monosyllable Jones (without a
blot on any part of it) to a numerous family. The instance to which
we allude is that of Mb.. Christopher, originally Duneas, who
called himself Christopher for £14,000 a-year, and is now, for the
respectable consideration of £38,000 a-year about to call himself
Nisbet.

We can only say, that we would call ourselves Buggins or Muggins,
Hopkins or Popkins, or anything that anybody might think fit to call
us, for one quarter of the money. We know that ladies have some-
times very large sums settled on them before they can be induced to
change their names ; but it is difficult to conceive the motive for offering
a gentleman several thousands a-year to alter his appellation.

IMPORTANT PROM THE EAST.

Amid the latest intelligence, or anticipations of the Overland Mail in
one of the morning papers, our eye fell upon the following rather
startling announcement:—

" Hassan Bky has received a present of a copper watch."

We do not yet see the effect this circumstance is likely to produce on
European, Asiatic, African, or American politics. The Eoreign Cor-
respondent who communicates this piece of news had probably no time
for details, but in a future letter he will perhaps enlighten the world
with further particulars. W7bo gave Hassan Bey the copper watch ?
What did Hassan say when he got it? Did the watch go? and a
hundred other kindred questions will occur to the mind in reference to
this somewhat remarkable topic. We wonder if the papers published
in the East are filled with such foreign intelligence as that which we
have quoted above, and whether such facts as "Mr. Jones has re-
ceived a present of a silver pencil-case," finds its way into the columns
of our Asiatic contemporaries under the head of " Latest from London."
We have no persoual knowledge of the recipient of the copper-watch,
but any one to whom a present is given is, pro tanto, a " gifted indi-
vidual." Nevertheless we should be disposed to look upon Hassan
Bey as Hassan rather green.

Parliamentary Obsequies.

A bill has been brought into Parliament under the title of the
Burial of the Dead Bill. As this is about the regular time for the
Massacre of the Parliamentary Innocents, a Burial of the Dead Bill is
less than was to be expected. One would naturally look out for the
burial of numerous dead bills.

The State of Affairs.—A Member of the Opposition wrote lately
to oue of his constituents:—"Things are in such a miserable state
that, without Palmerston, it would be absolutely impossible tc
laugh at all."
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