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George Peabody

answer to this letter by Consul Cameron, and that he may conduct my embassy in England. See how the Islam oppress the Christian.

The recent death of Mr. Peabody, the American philanthropist, induces me to insert another letter to the Queen, in the shape of that gentleman's reply to Her Majesty's gracious acknowledgment of his munificent gift to the poor of London. The allusions to his prosperous career, and the happiness which he had experienced under Her Majesty's 'benign rule,' are not less felicitous than his well-merited tribute to the Queen's sympathy with the humblest of her subjects; and the concluding reference to 'the kindly feeling of the Queen of the United Kingdom towards a citizen of the United States,' is very pleasingly expressed :

THE PALACE HOTEL, BUCKINGHAM GATE,
London, April 3, 1868.

MADAME, I feel sensibly my inability to express in adequate terms the gratification with which I have read the letter which your Majesty has done me the high honour of transmitting by the hands of Earl Russell.

On the occasion which has attracted your Majesty's attention of setting apart a portion of my property to ameliorate the condition and augment the comforts of the poor of London, I have been actuated by a deep sense of gratitude to God, who has blessed me with prosperity, and of attachment to this great country, where,

to the Queen of England.

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under your Majesty's benign rule, I have received so much personal kindness, and enjoyed so many years of happiness.

Next to the approval of my own conscience, I shall always prize the assurance which your Majesty's letter conveys to me of the approbation of the Queen of England, whose whole life has attested that her exalted station has in no degree diminished her sympathy with the humblest of her subjects.

The portrait which your Majesty is graciously pleased to bestow on me I shall value as the most precious heirloom that I can leave in the land of my birth, where, together with the letter which your Majesty has addressed to me, it will ever be regarded as an evidence of the kindly feeling of the Queen of the United Kingdom towards a citizen of the United States.

I have the honour to be your Majesty's most obedient servant, GEORGE PEABODY.

To Her Majesty the Queen.

On this side of the Atlantic, however, it is probably more common. to associate our American cousins with a special vein of humour than with delicacy of sentiment. Most of the best humourists of America are said to hail from the West; and if their fun is somewhat coarse, it is certainly less strained and more genuine than that of New England. Thus, while California was the cradle of John Phenix and Mark Twain, the 'Rev. Petroleum Nasby' and 'Artemus Ward' both belonged to the State of Ohio. It

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'Artemus Ward.'

is now well known that the real name of 'Artemus' was Charles Browne, whose premature death in the spring of 1867, at the early age of thirty, was very generally deplored. The letters purporting to be written by an itinerant showman, under the name of 'Artemus Ward,' were long believed to be genuine. After the discovery of their true character, the author's popularity was rapidly established; and during the last year of his life, which was passed in England, the warmth of his heart and the geniality of his temper, independently of the eccentricity of his writings, secured for him a troop of ardent admirers. The letter in which he asserts the superiority of 'wax figgers' to the plays of Shakespeare is a very characteristic specimen of his style.

ONTO THE WING,
1859.

MR. EDITOR,—I take my Pen in hand to inform yu that I'm in good helth and trust these few lines will find yu injoyin the same blessins. I wood also state that I'm now on the summir kampane. As the Poit sez

ime erflote, ime erflote,
on the Swift rollin tied,

An the Rovir is free.

Bizness is scacely middlin, but Sirs I manige to pay for my foode and raiment puncktooally and without no

'Wax Figgers' v. Shakespeare.

97

grumblin. The barked arrers of slandur has bin leviled at the undersined moren onct sins heze bin into the show bizness, but I make bold to say no man on this footstule kan troothfully say I ever ronged him or eny of his folks. I'm travelin with a tent, which is better nor hirin hauls. My show konsists of a serious of wax works, snakes, a paneramy kalled a Grand Movin Diarea of the War in the Crymear, komic songs and the Kangeroo, which larst little cuss continners to konduct hisself in the most outrajus stile. I started out with the idear of making my show a grate Moral Entertainment, but I'm kompeled to sware so much at that air infernul Kangeroo that I'm frade this desine will be flustratid to some extent. And while speakin of morrality, remines me that sum folks turn up their nosis at shows like mine, sayin they is low and not fit to be patrernized by peple of high degree. Sirs, I manetane that this is infernul nonsense. I manetane that wax figgers is more elevatin than awl the plays ever wroten. Take Shakespeer for instunse. Peple think heze grate things, but I kontend heze quite the reverse to the kontrary. What sort of sense is thare to King Leer who goze round cussin his darters, chawin hay and throin straw at folks, and larfin like a silly old koot and makin a ass of hisself ginerally? Thare's Mrs. Mackbethsheze a nise kind of woomon to have round aint she, a puttin old Mack, her husband, up to slaying Dunkan with a cheeze knife, while heze payin a frendly visit to their house. O its hily morral, I spoze, when she larfs wildly and sez, 'gin me the daggurs-Ile let his bowels out,' or words to that effeck-I say, this is awl strickly propper I spoze? That Jack Fawlstarf is likewise a immoral old cuss, take him how ye may, and Hamlick is as crazy as a loon. Thare's Richurd the Three peple think heze grate things, but I look upon him in the lite of a monkster. He kills everybody he takes a noshun to in kold blud,

G

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Pithy Letters.

and then goze to sleep in his tent. Bimeby he wakes up and yells for a hoss so he can go orf and kill sum more peple. If he isent a fit spesserman for the gallers then I shood like to know whare you find um. Thare's largo who is more ornery nor pizun. See how shamful he treated that hily respecterble injun gentlemun, Mister Otheller, makin him for to beleeve his wife was two thick with Casheo. Obsarve how Iargo got Casheo drunk as a biled owl on corn whisky in order to karry out his sneekin desines. See how he wurks Mister Otheller's feelins up so that he goze and makes poor Desdemony swaller a piller which cawses her deth. But I must stop. At sum futur time I shall continner my remarks on the dramer in which I shall show the varst supeeriority of wax figgers and snakes over theater plays, in a intellectooal pint of view.-Very Respectively Yures,

A. WARD, T. K.

A few specimens of pithy letters may here be introduced. The following quaint application from the queen of James VI. to George Heriot is still preserved among the muniments of the Hospital which bears the worthy jeweller's

name:

GORDG HERRATT,-I ernestlie dissyr youe present to send me tua hundrethe pundes vthe all expedition becaus I man hast me away presentlie. ANNA R.

During our ineffectual attempt to induce the Spaniards to accede to a cessation of arms in the year 1718, a powerful fleet was sent to the

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