months' run, and
was followed at varying intervals by several other periodicals,
equally short-lived.

In 1849 or 1850, _The Rectory Umbrella_ began to appear. As the
editor was by this time seventeen or eighteen years old, it was
naturally of a more ambitious character than any of its precursors. It
contained a serial story of the most thrilling interest, entitled,
"The Walking-Stick of Destiny," some meritorious poetry, a few
humorous essays, and several caricatures of pictures in the Vernon
Gallery. Three reproductions of these pictures follow, with extracts
from the _Umbrella_ descriptive of them.

[Illustration: The only sister who _would_ write to her
brother, though the table had just "folded down"! The other sisters
are depicted "sternly resolved to set off to Halnaby & the Castle,"
tho' it is yet "early, early morning"--Rembrondt.]

THE VERNON GALLERY.

As our readers will have seen by the preceding page, we
have commenced engraving the above series of pictures. "The
Age of Innocence," by Sir J. Reynolds, representing a young
Hippopotamus seated under a shady tree, presents to the
contemplative mind a charming union of youth and innocence.

EDITOR.

[Illustration: _"The Scanty Meal."_]

We have been unusually[001] successful in our second
engraving from the Vernon Gallery. The picture is
intended, as our readers will perceive, to illustrate the
evils of homoeopathy.[002] This idea is well carried out
through the whole picture. The thin old lady at the head of
the table is in the painter's best style; we almost fancy we
can trace in the eye of the other lady a lurking suspicion
that her glasses are not really in fault, and that the old
gentleman has helped her to _nothing_ instead of a
nonillionth.[003] Her companion has evidently got an empty
glass in his hand; the two children in front are admirably
managed, and there is a sly smile on the footman's face, as
if he thoroughly enjoyed either the bad news he is bringing
or the wrath of his mistress. The carpet is executed with
that elaborate care for which Mr. Herring is so famed, and
the picture on the whole is one of his best.

"_The First Ear-ring_"

The scene from which this excellent picture is painted
is taken from a passage in the autobiography[004] of the
celebrated Sir William Smith[005] of his life when a
schoolboy: w