The Humourous Poetry of the English Language

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double-page cut, entitled "Mr. Punch's Fancy Ball," in the early part
of the same volume, comprises sketches of the then entire corps of
contributors, artistic and literary. They are drawn as forming the
orchestra, Lemon conducting, Jerrold belaboring a big drum, Thackeray
playing on the flute, Leech the violin, and others extracting harmony
from divers musical instruments. Again they appear at a later date, as
a number of boys at play, in an illustration at the commencement of
Vol. XXVII.
"Punch's" office is at 85 Fleet-street. The engraving, printing, and
stereotyping is performed at Lombard-street, Whitefriars, where its
proprietors have extensive premises.
REJECTED ADDRESSES, by James and Horace Smith, published in London,
October, 1812. The most successful jeu d'esprit of modern times, having
survived the occasion that suggested it for nearly half a century, and
still being highly popular. It has run through twenty editions in
England, and three in America. The opening of Drury-lane theater in
1802, after having been burned and rebuilt, and the offering of a prize
of fifty pounds by the manager for the best opening address, were the
circumstances which suggested the production of the "Rejected
Addresses."The idea of the work was suddenly conceived, and it was
executed in six weeks. In the preface to the eighteenth London edition
the authors give an interesting statement of the difficulties they
encountered in getting the volume published:
"Urged forward by our hurry, and trusting to chance, two very bad
coadjutors in any enterprise, we at length congratulated ourselves on
having completed our task in time to have it printed and published by
the opening of the theater. But, alas! our difficulties, so far from
being surmounted, seemed only to be beginning. Strangers to the arcana
of the bookseller's trade, and unacquainted with their almost
invincible objection to single volumes of low price, especially when
tendered by writers who have acquired no previous name, we little
anticipated that they would refuse to publish our 'Rejected Addresses,'
even although we asked nothing for the copyright. Such, however, proved
to be the case. Our manuscript was perused and returned to us by
several of the most eminent publishers. Well do we remember betaking
ourselves to one of the craft in Bond-street, whom we found in a back
parlor, with his gouty leg propped upon a cushion, in spite of which
warning he diluted his luncheon with frequent glasses of Madeira. 'What