to his
sensitiveness to criticism, and his unwillingness to place himself in
any position which would be likely to incur it.

FOOTNOTES:

[126] Vol. iii., 1860.

[127] Shirley Brooks in the _Illustrated London News_, 19th Nov.,
1864.

[128] George Redway, 12, York Street, Covent Garden.

[129] They include also some (pirated) impressions from the designs
of George Cruikshank, which set that irritable genius, as might have
been expected, in a fume.

[130] Chapman & Hall, 186, Strand, 1st November, 1840.

[131] "Adventures of Michael Armstrong, the Factory Boy."

[132] He subsequently returned to it for a short time only.

[133] The serial commenced 17th July, 1841.

[134] That this was the case, see Mr. Joseph Hatter's "With a Show in
the North;" see also a remarkable letter of Mr. William Tegg in the
_Athenaeum_ of 16th October, 1875.

[135] Thackeray in the _Quarterly_.

[136] I calculate that the minor drawings number about 2,500; if to
these we add 638 cartoons, we get a sum total of over 3,100
illustrations for _Punch_ alone. If we say nearly 1,000 for Mr.
Surtees' sporting novels, without taking into account Leech's other
work, we may form some notion of his untiring industry.

[137] MS. Diary of Shirley Brooks (October 31st, 1864).

[138] Compare, for instance, Leech's _Black Mousquetaire_ in the
original edition with Cruikshank's reproduction of the same subject
in the '64 edition.

CHAPTER XIV.

_THE "PUNCH" CARTOONS OF JOHN LEECH._

We have seen that at the time John Leech commenced work as a comic
artist, the art of caricature was practically dead; it was not therefore
at all surprising, under the circumstances, that he should reverse, as
it were, the order of things: commence as an illustrator of books, and
finish his career as a graphic humourist. Although his first
contribution to _Punch_ commences in the fourth number, his cartoons so
called (from which, in accordance with the plan of this work we now
proceed to select a few examples) seem to us to call for little mention
before the year 1843.

PRINCE ALBERT.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert, who held high rank in the British army
by virtue of his exalted position, was most unjustly suspected in those
early _Punch_ days of a desire to interfere unduly with its
administration. He took, however, much interest in the dress and comfort
of the British