PUNCH,
OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
VOL. 1.
NOVEMBER 13, 1841.
THE BIRTH OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.
(By the Observer’s ownCorrespondent.)
It will be seen that we were not premature in announcing theprobability of the birth of a Prince of Wales; and though it wasimpossible that any one should be able to speak with certainty, ourpositive tone upon the occasion serves to show the exclusive natureof all our intelligence. We are enabled now to state that thePrince will immediately take, indeed he has already taken, thetitle of Prince of Wales, which it is generally understoodhe will enjoy—at least if a child so young can be said toenjoy anything of the kind—until an event shall happen whichwe hope will be postponed for a very protracted period. The Princeof Wales, should he survive his mother, will ascend the throne; butwhether he will be George the Fifth, Albert the First, Henry theNinth, Charles the Third, or Anything the Nothingth, depends uponcircumstances we are not at liberty to allude to—atpresent; nor do we think we shall be enabled to do so in asecond edition.
Our suggestion last week, that the royal birth should take placeon Lord Mayor’s Day, has, we are happy to see, been partiallyattended to; but we regret that the whole hog has not been gone, bytwins having been presented to the anxious nation, so that theremight have been a baronetcy each for the outgoing and incoming LordMayors of Dublin and London. Perhaps, however, it might have beenattended with difficulty to follow our advice to the very letter;but we nevertheless think it might have been arranged; though ifothers think otherwise, we, of course, have nothing further to sayupon the matter alluded to.
We very much regret to make an announcement, and are glad atbeing the first to do so, though we are sorry to advert to thesubject, touching an alarming symptom in the Princess Royal. HerRoyal Highness, ever since the birth of the Prince, whom we thinkwe may now venture to call her brother, has suffered from anaffection of the nose, which is said to be quite out of joint sincethe royal stranger (for we hope we may take the liberty of alludingto the Prince of Wales as a stranger, for he is a stranger to us,at least we have never seen him) came into existence.
We hear it on good authority that when the Princess was taken tosee her brother, Her Royal Highness, who begins to articulate a fewsounds, exclaimed, “Tar!” with unusualemphasis. It is supposed, from this simple but affectingcircumstance, that the Prince of Wales will eventually become aTar, and perhaps regain for his country the undisputeddominion of the seas, which, by-the-bye, has not been questioned,and probably will not be, in which case the naval attributes of HisRoyal Highness will not be brought into activity.
FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.
Master Smith took an airing on the 5th, accompanied by a GuyFawkes and a very numerous suite. In the evening there wasa select circle, and a bonfire.
Mr. Baron Nathan and family are still at Kennington. The Barondanced the college hornpipe, last Wednesday, on one leg, before aparty of private friends; and the Honourable Miss Nathan wentthrough the Cracovienne, amidst twenty-four coffee-cups and aninverted pitcher, surmounted by a very long champagne-glass. Uponinspecting the cups after the graceful performance was concluded,there was not a chip upon one of them. The champagne glass, thoughit frequently rattled in its perilous position, retained it throughthe whole of the dance, and was carefully picked up at itsconclusion by the Baroness, who we were happy to find looking inmore than her