of this new "London Charivari" was in a
forward state of preparation, even to pages of text being set up, when
it suddenly collapsed through a mistaken notion of Thackeray's that each
co-partner--there being no "capitalist" thought of--would be liable for
the private debts of his colleagues. The suggestion was too much for the
faith of the schemers in one another's discretion, and "The London
Charivari" was incontinently dropped; yet unquestionably it had some
indirect influence on the subsequent constitution and career of Mr.
Punch.

[Illustration: EBENEZER LANDELLS.]

For some years the success of the Paris "Charivari" had attracted the
attention of Mr. Ebenezer Landells, wood-engraver, draughtsman, and
newspaper projector. He had been a favourite pupil of the great Bewick
himself, and had come up to London, where he soon made his mark as John
Jackson's and Harvey's chief lieutenant and obtained an entrance into
literary and artistic circles. A man of great originality and initiative
ability, of unflagging energy and industry, of considerable artistic
taste, and of great amiability, he also had the defect of the creative
quality of his mind, so that, owing to that lack of business talent
which the public generally associates with the artistic temperament, he
did not ultimately prove himself more than a moderate financial success.
As Jerrold, Thackeray, and the rest had done before him, he believed in
a "Charivari" for England, and pondered how the Parisian success might
be emulated and achieved. In his house at 22, Bidborough Street, St.
Pancras (where most of the early _Punch_ blocks were cut), he had a
ready-made staff of engravers that included some names destined to
become better known--Mr. Birket Foster; Mr. Edmund Evans, best known
nowadays in connection with Miss Kate Greenaway's delightful children's
books; J. Greenaway, her father, who became a master engraver himself;
and William Gaiter, who afterwards took Orders; while "outside" were
Edward and George Dalziel, T. Armstrong, and Charles Gorway. With these
young men the handsome, tall engraver was extremely popular; they called
him "the Skipper," or "Old Tooch-it-oop" behind his back, in token of
his Northumbrian accent, but to his friends he was generally known as
"Daddy Longlegs," or "Daddy Landells."

So Landells took the idea, which he determined upon carrying out, to one
or two well-established publishers, Wright of Fleet Street amongst them,
but no