first Almanac, the conductors decided to
work the same oracle by publishing "extra numbers" at every promising
opportunity. "Mr. Mayhew, Mr. Jerrold, and I," says Landells, "happened
to spend a few days in the summer at Herne Bay, and there '_Punch's_
Visit to the Watering Places' was projected. These articles gave _Punch_
another great lift. Messrs. Mayhew, Mark Lemon, Douglas Jerrold, and I,
did Herne Bay, Margate, Broadstairs, and Ramsgate, and I never enjoyed
myself more than on this, to me, memorable occasion. Albert Smith did
Brighton. _Punch_ thenceforth became an established favourite with the
public, and the weekly circulation averaged over 30,000."

Just before this lucky stroke, another not less fortunate as a _succes
d'estime_, if nothing more, was "_Punch's_ Valentines"--at that time
considered a most remarkable production; for there were no fewer than
twelve half-page engravings within its full-page borders--a generous
amount that puzzled the public far more than ten times as much and as
good would do to-day. Kenny Meadows, "Phiz,"[6] Leech, Crowquill,
Henning, and Newman, contributed each two "valentines," which were
addressed to various sorts and conditions of people, accompanied by
verses of considerable humour and more than average merit. Thus, to the
lawyer--whom "Phiz" has represented as a mixture, in equal parts, of
Squeers, Brass, and Quilp--the lines begin in a manner not unworthy of
Hood himself:--

"Lend me your ears, thou man of law,
While I my declaration draw,
Your heart in fee surrender;
As plaintiff I my suit prefer,
'Twould be uncivil to demur,
Then let your plea be--tender."

The invocation which follows, to a gorgeous footman, by some
love-smitten serving-maid, ends--

"But now fare thee well!--with your ultimate breath,
When you answer the door to the knocking of Death,
On your conscience, believe me, 'twill terribly dwell,
If now you refuse to attend to the _belle_!"

In August, 1850, in the extra number called "_Punch's_ Holidays," that
was done for the outskirts of London which eight years before had been
done for the watering-places. It was illustrated by Leech and Doyle,
and, it may be added, the Hampton Court section was written by
Thackeray. Then when the great Shakespeare Tercentenary was being
celebrated, with singularly little _eclat_ so far as the Shakespeare
Committee itself was concerned, _Punch_ produced his "Tercentenary
Number." It w