noted, however, that _Punch's_ first brush with the "Herald" was
personal, not political. In February, 1843, the latter journal had
fathered upon _Punch_ a poor joke of which he was entirely innocent, and
which he repudiated in an article entitled "Impudent Attempt at Fraud."
The quarrel thus begun in fun was continued in earnest, and soon the
"Herald," as a representative of public opinion, had no more damaging
assailant than "our humorous contemporary."

Now, in November, 1845, there appeared a reference to "Mrs. Harris,
Editress of the Standard," as well as a drawing by Leech, called
"Maternal Solicitude," which was intended to satirise the snobbery of
persons who name their children after the Royal Family. It represents
the visit of one lady to another, while a pair of repulsive-looking
brats of one of them make up the group. "And the dear children?" asks
the friend. "Why," replies the fond mother, "Alexandrina Victoria is a
good deal better; but dear little Albert here is still very delicate."

Thereupon the "Standard" opened the floodgates of its anger in a leading
article, the whole tone of which is a curious contrast to its dignity
and moderation at the present day. In the course of its outburst it
said:--

Still not one word from the "Times" in support of its charge of the
exercise of Court influence at the Windsor Election. As usual,
however, ... its _toadies_ are active and noisy.... To-day we, of
course, find _Punch_ the most abject, probably, of all the "Times"
_toadies_, discharging the duties of its mean avocation in an
article libelling the successful candidate, libelling the military,
libelling the young gentlemen of Eton, and ascribing Colonel Reid's
return to "kitchen-stairs influence" emanating from the Castle.....
If there were any fun in the article to which we refer, we might
forgive the malice and falsehood, as we are all too much disposed
to do, for the joke's sake; but dull as all the articles of _Punch_
have been lately growing, this article on the Windsor Election is
the stupidest that we have seen in its columns--a mere display of
heavy spitefulness. We should probably have overlooked this piece
of impertinence had _Punch_ confined itself to letterpress in its
_toady_ vindication of the quarrel of the "Times;" but in the 222nd
page of the number which contains the Windsor Election article,
there is a