sque treatment of classical subjects, but was the fruit of a
close study of and easy familiarity with heathen mythology, classical,
Egyptian, and, in particular, Norse. The fun was not particularly broad,
but Tom Taylor was especially tickled by his attempts to find amusement
in the extraordinary head-dresses worn by ladies of Ancient Egypt--such
as that in the cut (July 11th, 1874) learnedly inscribed "Oos Yer
Atter?"

[Illustration: J. MOYR SMITH.

(_From a Drawing by Himself._)]

Mrs. Jopling-Rowe, then Mrs. Frank Romer, was the only new arrival in
the year 1869. The death of her husband had left her under the necessity
of supporting herself and her children, and as niece of Mark Lemon she
might have obtained easy admittance to _Punch_, had she not found
portrait-painting a more remunerative occupation. Under the initial of
her name she made but four drawings of little importance, the most
ambitious being an illustration of the "Song of Sixpence," which was
treated as a subject from "Nursery History." It appeared on page 56 of
Volume LVII.

Mr. Wallis Mackay, the clever "Captious Critic" of later days, followed
"W. G."--a contributor of a couple of trifles--and worked for _Punch_
from 1870 to 1874, making seven-and-twenty drawings, "socials" chiefly,
in his well-known style. It was in the latter year that Tom Taylor
succeeded to the editorship, and having been mortally offended with a
personal sketch which the "Captious Critic" had drawn some time before,
he forthwith cancelled the connection. Even the blocks already in hand
and paid for were suppressed, with the exception of four, of which the
last appeared in 1877. On the accession of Mr. Burnand, says Mr. Mackay,
he was informed that Bouverie Street was no longer "a close borough,"
and that the Essence of Parliament awaited him; but the "Special
Correspondent" was away in the wilds of Ireland, and the opportunity
passed by.

[Illustration: J. SANDS.

(_From a Painting._)]

The same day as that on which the first of Mr. Bennitt's four drawings
arrived--(he must not be confounded with the Colonel Bennitt who is
referred to later on)--saw also the first contribution of Mr. J. Sands,
Charles Keene's friend, who put his little anagrammatic device of an
hour-glass to more than three-score drawings between the years 1870 and
1880. Save for their ingenuity, they were not of first-rate importance.
Mr. Sands had been an Edinburgh and Arbroath solicitor; a prairie