omise
you--where me and my wife and James Hangelo now is; and where only
yesterday a gent came in and drew this pictur* of us in our bar.

* This refers to an illustrated edition of the work.

"And if they go on breaking gages; and if the child, the most precious
luggidge of the Henglishman, is to be bundled about this year way,
why it won't be for want of warning, both from Professor Harris, the
Commission, and from

"My dear Mr. Punch's obeajent servant,

"JEAMES PLUSH."

THE TREMENDOUS ADVENTURES OF MAJOR GAHAGAN.

CHAPTER I.

"TRUTH IS STRANGE, STRANGER THAN FICTION."

I think it but right that in making my appearance before the public
I should at once acquaint them with my titles and name. My card, as I
leave it at the houses of the nobility, my friends, is as follows:--

MAJOR GOLIAH O'GRADY GAHAGAN, H.E.I.C.S.,

Commanding Battalion of Irregular Horse,

AHMEDNUGGAR.

Seeing, I say, this simple visiting ticket, the world will avoid any of
those awkward mistakes as to my person, which have been so frequent of
late. There has been no end to the blunders regarding this humble title
of mine, and the confusion thereby created. When I published my volume
of poems, for instance, the Morning Post newspaper remarked "that the
Lyrics of the Heart, by Miss Gahagan, may be ranked among the sweetest
flowrets of the present spring season." The Quarterly Review, commenting
upon my Observations on the "Pons Asinorum" (4to. London, 1836), called
me "Doctor Gahagan," and so on. It was time to put an end to these
mistakes, and I have taken the above simple remedy.

I was urged to it by a very exalted personage. Dining in August last at
the palace of the T-lr-es at Paris, the lovely young Duch-ss of Orl--ns
(who, though she does not speak English, understands it as well as I
do,) said to me in the softest Teutonic, "Lieber Herr Major, haben sie
den Ahmednuggarischen-jager-battalion gelassen?" "Warum denn?" said I,
quite astonished at her R---l H-----ss's question. The P---cess then
spoke of some trifle from my pen, which was simply signed Goliah
Gahagan.

There was, unluckily, a dead silence as H. R. H. put this question.

"Comment donc?" said H. M. Lo-is Ph-l-ppe, looking gravely at Count
Mole; "le cher Major a quitte l'armee! Nicolas donc sera maitre de
l'Inde!" H. M---- and the Pr. M-n-ster pursued their conversation in
a low tone, and left me, as may be imagined in a dreadful state of
confus