DOI issue:
April 22, 1865
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16875#0175
I
Apr:l 22, 1865.] PUNCH OR THE LONDON CETARIVART. 167
AN OVERSIGHT.
Little Officer (in temporary charge of Grenadier Company, reading from the Report Book.) “John Walker.”
J. W. “Sir.”
Little Officer. “For passing his Officer without Saluting.”
J. W. “Please, Sir, ’low me to Speak. Beg pardon, Sir, didn’t see You-”
Little Officer. “Come, Now, that’s Nonsense, you know—Extra Parade.”
THE AMERICAN NEWS.
All our regular political writers have gone out of Town for the
Easter Holidays. But on receiving the important news which arrived on
Saturday from America, and considering that a political leader was re-
quired from us, we sent to a smart young penny-a-liner, informing him
that Richmond and Petersburg had fallen, and desiring him to supply
an. article. We obtained in reply the following performance, which we
print, partly because we have got nothing else, and partly to shame the
writer, who doubtless considers himself a person of average, or even
higher intelligence.
LEADING ARTICLE.
P«.
Extraordinary news has just arrived. c Richmond and Petersburg
have fallen.’ Such tidings do not come every day. All surprises are
unexpected, but this is the most unexpected surprise we ever had.
That two important cities in different parts of the world should fall
down at once, is truly strange, but that the news should come to us
across the Atlantic ocean is one of those coincidences which make us
say, with Homer, that there is indeed nothing new under the Sun. As
regards the fall ol Richmond, we are too grieved to be able to give vent
to our emotions. That town, pleasingly situate on the banks of the
1 names, is connected with too many holiday associations for us to hear
of its fall without regret. We recal luxurious dinners at the Gar and
Starter, charming walks in the Park, of which Pope might have
written—
il Thy forests, Windsor, and thy green retrea
Are full of monarchs and of gentlemen’s seats. ”
And we cannot forbear a tribute to the excellent driving of the flymen
who rattled in such dashing fashion from the hotels to the commodious
station. All is gone, and Richmond has fallen. Let us only add, in
the beautiful language of funereal heraldry, Resurgam. But if the fall
of a third-rate town be a misfortune, what shall we say of the fall of the
capital of Russia ? The proud metropolis built by the haughty but
profligate Catherine for her son Peter the Great, and reflected in
the blue waters of the Vistula, has also gone down, and consternation
is spread over the dominions of the Autograph. Lisbon was once
destroyed by an earthquake, and with the addition of a slight pelisse,
Madrid’s and Petersburg’s climes are of a piece, remarkable words by
Lord Byron, which have now received an extraordinary illustration.
Such poetical reminiscences crowd upon our mind at an exciting
moment like this, and readers will feel with us, while we are recording
that St. Petersburg has fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen from its high
estate, and welters in the tide. Necessarily hurried as are our
remarks, they are written in the excitement of the moment, and we
shall return to the subject when we are favoured with further par-
ticulars. In the absence of these, it would be premature to speculate
upon the causes which have produced these afflicting catastrophes ; but
as regards Richmond it may not be impossible that the enormous
excavations which have been made for the cellars of the new and grand
hotel near the Park Gates may have brought down the entire town
into the abyss. The fall of Petersburg is more inexplicable, but it is
built upon piles, and it is possible that the extreme dryness of the late
weather may have produced dry-rot in those supports, which it must
now be matter of regret were not fortified by some chemical process of
a vulcanising character. But it were ungenerous to reproach a nation
at a moment of disaster, and we would rather say that as Augustus
found Rome of marble and left it of brick, so Alexander may And
Petersburg in ruins, and leave it in the course of architectural re-con-
struction.
We will only add, esto perpetual, and without pointing a moral, or
adorning a tale, will leave the remarkable news to the consideration of
our readers until further notice.
Apr:l 22, 1865.] PUNCH OR THE LONDON CETARIVART. 167
AN OVERSIGHT.
Little Officer (in temporary charge of Grenadier Company, reading from the Report Book.) “John Walker.”
J. W. “Sir.”
Little Officer. “For passing his Officer without Saluting.”
J. W. “Please, Sir, ’low me to Speak. Beg pardon, Sir, didn’t see You-”
Little Officer. “Come, Now, that’s Nonsense, you know—Extra Parade.”
THE AMERICAN NEWS.
All our regular political writers have gone out of Town for the
Easter Holidays. But on receiving the important news which arrived on
Saturday from America, and considering that a political leader was re-
quired from us, we sent to a smart young penny-a-liner, informing him
that Richmond and Petersburg had fallen, and desiring him to supply
an. article. We obtained in reply the following performance, which we
print, partly because we have got nothing else, and partly to shame the
writer, who doubtless considers himself a person of average, or even
higher intelligence.
LEADING ARTICLE.
P«.
Extraordinary news has just arrived. c Richmond and Petersburg
have fallen.’ Such tidings do not come every day. All surprises are
unexpected, but this is the most unexpected surprise we ever had.
That two important cities in different parts of the world should fall
down at once, is truly strange, but that the news should come to us
across the Atlantic ocean is one of those coincidences which make us
say, with Homer, that there is indeed nothing new under the Sun. As
regards the fall ol Richmond, we are too grieved to be able to give vent
to our emotions. That town, pleasingly situate on the banks of the
1 names, is connected with too many holiday associations for us to hear
of its fall without regret. We recal luxurious dinners at the Gar and
Starter, charming walks in the Park, of which Pope might have
written—
il Thy forests, Windsor, and thy green retrea
Are full of monarchs and of gentlemen’s seats. ”
And we cannot forbear a tribute to the excellent driving of the flymen
who rattled in such dashing fashion from the hotels to the commodious
station. All is gone, and Richmond has fallen. Let us only add, in
the beautiful language of funereal heraldry, Resurgam. But if the fall
of a third-rate town be a misfortune, what shall we say of the fall of the
capital of Russia ? The proud metropolis built by the haughty but
profligate Catherine for her son Peter the Great, and reflected in
the blue waters of the Vistula, has also gone down, and consternation
is spread over the dominions of the Autograph. Lisbon was once
destroyed by an earthquake, and with the addition of a slight pelisse,
Madrid’s and Petersburg’s climes are of a piece, remarkable words by
Lord Byron, which have now received an extraordinary illustration.
Such poetical reminiscences crowd upon our mind at an exciting
moment like this, and readers will feel with us, while we are recording
that St. Petersburg has fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen from its high
estate, and welters in the tide. Necessarily hurried as are our
remarks, they are written in the excitement of the moment, and we
shall return to the subject when we are favoured with further par-
ticulars. In the absence of these, it would be premature to speculate
upon the causes which have produced these afflicting catastrophes ; but
as regards Richmond it may not be impossible that the enormous
excavations which have been made for the cellars of the new and grand
hotel near the Park Gates may have brought down the entire town
into the abyss. The fall of Petersburg is more inexplicable, but it is
built upon piles, and it is possible that the extreme dryness of the late
weather may have produced dry-rot in those supports, which it must
now be matter of regret were not fortified by some chemical process of
a vulcanising character. But it were ungenerous to reproach a nation
at a moment of disaster, and we would rather say that as Augustus
found Rome of marble and left it of brick, so Alexander may And
Petersburg in ruins, and leave it in the course of architectural re-con-
struction.
We will only add, esto perpetual, and without pointing a moral, or
adorning a tale, will leave the remarkable news to the consideration of
our readers until further notice.