John Leech's cartoon, in No. 12, was published September 14, 1844;
the Prince de Joinville was in command of the French Navy, and there
was some foolish talk in the French papers about an invasion of
England. The expression of the Duke of Wellington's face in this
cartoon is simply perfect, as he stands with his hands in his pockets
calmly looking at the threatening Joinville, and quietly says to
the Frenchman, "You're too good a judge to hit me, you are!" One is
irresistibly reminded by this clever cartoon of a quite recent affair
with our French neighbour, in which the relative positions were not
unlike those here shown, and to which the climax was [at any rate, up
to date, November, 1898] the same as in Leech's cartoon--_And they
don't fight after all!_
[Illustration: A RAILWAY MAP OF ENGLAND.
We are not among those who like going on with the March of Intellect
at the old jog-trot pace, for we rather prefer running on before to
loitering by the side, and we have consequently taken a few strides
in advance with Geography, by furnishing a Map of England, as it will
be in another year or two. Our country will, of course, never be in
chains, for there would be such a general bubbling up of heart's blood,
and such a bounding of British bosoms, as would effectually prevent
that; but though England will never be in chains, she will pretty soon
be in irons, as a glance at the numerous new Railway prospectuses
will testify. It is boasted that the spread of Railways will shorten
the time and labour of travelling; but we shall soon be unable to go
anywhere without crossing the line.--which once used to be considered
a very formidable undertaking. We can only say that we ought to be
going on very smoothly, considering that our country is being regularly
ironed from one end of it to the other.