rable meeting at Allen's. This, at least, in Lemon's
words, is certain: "It was called _Punch_ because it was short and
sweet. And Punch is an English institution. Everyone loves Punch, and
will be drawn aside to listen to it. All our ideas connected with Punch
are happy ones." The decision was not set aside when it was found that
Jerrold had edited a "Punch in London" years before, proposed to him a
few months earlier by Mr. Mills (of Mills, Jowett, and Mills). But the
favour with which the title was received was not universal. "I
remember," Mr. Birket Foster tells me, "Landells coming into the
workshop and saying, 'Well, boys, the title for the new work is to be
_Punch_.' When he was gone, we said it was a very stupid one, little
thinking what a great thing it was to become."

[Illustration: SIGNATURES ON DOCUMENT BY WHICH _PUNCH_ WAS FOUNDED.

(_See Appendix I._)]

The business plan was to be a co-operative one. Mayhew, Lemon, and
Coyne, it was finally agreed, were to be co-editors and own one-third
share as payment.[3] Last was to find the printing and own one share,
and Landells was to find drawings and engraving, and own one share. The
claims of outside contributors (among whom were Jerrold and a Beckett)
and the paper-maker's bill were to be the first charge on the proceeds;
and if these were not enough, Landells and Last were to make up the
deficiency. So, on the same plan as the first abortive attempt of a
"London Charivari," the new paper was embarked on, by men who with but
little capital ("it was started with L25--which I found!" says Landells)
yet threw themselves into it, and became their own publishers.
Advertising to the extent of L111 12s. was ventured on, including
"billing in 6 Mags.," "page in 'Master Humphrey's Clock' twice," 100,000
of the prospectuses reproduced on p. 23,[4] and 2,000 window-bills that
bore the design which Henning drew for _Punch's_ cover, after a rough
sketch by Landells.

It was a busy fortnight; and it may well be doubted if any other journal
of such great eventual popularity has ever been launched with so little
preparation. Every technical detail identical with what was employed up
to recent years was settled; Henning drew his ill-composed cartoon of
"Parliamentary Candidates under Different Heads," roughly done, but not
ill-cut; and Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Henry Grattan, Joseph Allen, F.
G. Tomlins, Gilbert a Beckett, and W. H. Wills (the biting epigram "To
the Black-