nd
when that failed he produced the now rare _FitzAlleyne of Berkeley: a
Romance of the Present Times_, a pair of libellous volumes, the
_dramatis personae_ of which comprise the persons whose names were
mentioned in connection with the case. "Maria Pous" was of course Maria
Foote; Samuel Pous, her father; Lord A----y, Alvanley; Major H----r,
Major George Hanger, afterwards Lord Coleraine; Optimus, Mr. Tom Best
(who shot Lord Camelford in a duel); the Pea-green Count and FitzAlleyne
of Berkeley speak for themselves; while "Mary Carbon" is the butcher's
daughter of Gloucester, mother of the Colonel, and afterwards Countess
of Berkeley. Such a character as Molloy, otherwise Westmacott, was
bound to get sometimes into trouble (in these days he would probably
receive his reward for "endeavouring to extort money by threats"); and
if he did not get exactly what he deserved, he did get, on the tenth of
October, 1830, a tremendous thrashing from Charles Kemble. References to
the memorandum books of this Ishmaelite of the press, in which he
entered (for future use) some of the scandalous chronicles of his time,
and which were offered for sale at his death in 1868, will be found in
Mr. Bates's interesting book, from which we have already quoted.

"POINTS OF HUMOUR."

Returning to his friend and coadjutor, Robert Cruikshank, the best of
the artist's coloured illustrations to the "English Spy" are contained
in the first volume; in the second he falls into those habits of
carelessness which, with all his ability and artistic talent, were a
besetting weakness. Robert lacked the genius, the fine fancy, the
careful, delicate handling of George. Up to the publication of the
"Life," the brothers as we have seen had worked together frequently, but
after this period they separated. George had already achieved one of his
earliest triumphs in book illustration--"The Points of Humour," which
provoked the universal admiration of the critics, and proclaimed him one
of the most original geniuses of the time. The "Life," however, had made
both brothers famous, and the general public had scarcely yet learnt to
distinguish between the pencils of George and Robert. This confusion was
taken advantage of by unscrupulous publishers (a practice at which
Robert himself seems to have connived) to trade upon the popularity of
the Cruikshank name. We frequently find, for instance, in literary
advertisements of the time, that a forthcoming book is illus