In the same manner one of our professional advertisement writers may be supposed to address such an author as Sir Edward Bulwer, "When you wrote the 'Last Days of Pompeii,' it was I that puffed it in the journal." The advertisement writer, however, claims kindred with genius of all sorts, and considers himself entitled to a share in the glory of all undertakings under the sun, from the Thames Tunnel to the manufacture of a razor-strop. In fact, he is to the artist, or the shopkeeper, what Homer was to Achilles, Tasso to Godfrey, Camoens to Gama, or Milton to Cromwell; without him, what would his shops avail a Mechi, his XX a Guinness, his pills a Cockle, his Chesterfields a Doudney, his locks a Chubb, or his envelope a Stocken? "He knows the charms That call fame on such gentle acts as these, And he can waft their name o'er lands and seas, The advertisement literature of the day is therefore always worthy of some notice and record. Once a year at least, it is well to glance at it-remark such changes as it may have undergone, and illustrate its actual state by a few random examples. Looking back over the registers of the past year, we observe, in the first place, a decline of poetry in the announcements of our merchants and traders. Few London shops appear at present to keep poets. Warren himself rarely treats us to an ode, and this scarcity of verse is the more surprising when we consider the enormous quantity of the commodity produced by the booksellers, the authors of most of which could not more appropriately employ their poetic powers than in singing the praises of spermaceticandles, or jet-blacking. Over-production is indeed nowhere more conspicuous than in the manufacture of rhymes. We trust the opening of the trade with China may afford a vent for this as well as other branches of our native industry, as it certainly will, if the people of the celestrial empire stand as much in need of fustian as of broadcloth. We could spare "the central flowery land" a legion of bards, and where could that flowery fraternity-out of work at home-with even the doors of No. 20, Strand, closed against them-more appropriately seek a Mæcenas and a meal? But if the spirit of song is dead in our trading circles,-if there has been in our shops a counter-revolution against the lady muses-we have the satisfaction of perceiving that no decline in prose composition is visible as yet in the same department. We are not going to quote George Robins; it is sufficiently gratifying to remark that the powers of this capital writer continue unimpaired, and that he still remains the undisputed head of his own department, and the greatest composer of an auction-bill in this or any other country. A few specimens of advertising genius in a lower degree will, however, not be amiss. We shall take them at random from a few newspapers that happen to be on the table. How promptly has the author of the following availed himself of the recent triumphs of the British arms in the East! "THE CHINESE BAND MARCH, as performed on the Glorious Ratification of Peace with Great Britain, concluded by Sir Henry Pottinger, with a splendid Lithographic Frontispiece, containing a distant View of Nankin." The anticipation here is a fine stroke of art, the peace in question not having been ratified up to the last advices from China. It reminds one of the brilliant hit made by Demades in Timon. "Dem. Hear, my human Jupiter, the decree I have written concerning thee before the Areopagites: 'Whereas Timon, a champion and wrestler, was in one day victor of both the Olympic games.' "Timon. But I never saw the Olympic games. "Dem. What of that? That makes no matter, thou shalt see them hereafter." The tea-dealers, of course, consider China as their own property. Their organs are particularly eloquent just now; one has the following burst : "THE TRADE WITH CANTON BEING NOW QUITE OPEN, the Public, who suffered so much by the late Speculations, have a right to reap the full Benefit of the present Depression. They shall reap it." This is Demosthenic. Another is Ciceronian, and expatiates more copiously on the same theme: "THE GLORIOUS NEWS FROM THE EAST is everywhere hailed with delight and gratitude. In consequence of the highly important Announcement of Peace with China, we take the earliest opportunity of making known to the Public-that we have commenced selling all descriptions of Tea much cheaper." Our next specimen is no less than a discovery of a new species of liberty, for which the Chartists and Miss Mary Anne Walker will, of course, be duly grateful: "MORISONIAN PRIZES for the three best Essays on the Medical Liberty of the Subject. For particulars apply to the Medical Dissenter Office, &c. !" We have long had political liberty, civil liberty, religious liberty, commercial liberty, and now medical liberty is added to the number, so that there is reason to fear that liberty will become-a drug! "Timon." Edited by the Rev. A. Dyce, for the Shaksperian Society. It appears we have a new charter to fight for, and a new "mountain nymph" to woo; we may free ourselves from magistrates and priests, we may shake off the yoke of corn lords or cotton lords, but slaves we shall be still, if we do not likewise emancipate ourselves from the doctors. One advantage in this last struggle is that physical force will be unobjectionable, as it is always fair to combat an enemy with his own weapons. We shall disarm the surgeons and slay them with their own lancets, and the best way to dispose of the druggists will be to drug them; "The Medical Liberty of the Subject," will be a toast henceforward at public dinners; and a new toast was clearly wanting, for the public is heartily tired of "the people," "The wooden walls of Old England," and so forth. The advertisements of the tailors and the upholstery warehouses, during the past years, have been more remarkable for their substantial philanthropy than the ornaments of style. The very spirit of Howard breathes in the announcement of the house that offers to transport "furniture and bedding, carriage free, regardless of distance, to any part of the country." You may quarter yourself in the remotest fishing-village in the Orkneys, it is all the same to this enterprising establishment, whose benevolence annihilates space, and would shake you down a feather bed on the summit of Snowdon, before the ink was dry on your order. Probably in the word "country" they include the entire British Empire, in which case their feeling and their furniture would cheerfully accompany you to the very island of Hong-Kong, should you wish to visit that new settlement, and leave your card for Commissioner Lin. The upholsterers, however, are not entirely forgetful of the graces of composition. We observe that the climax is a figure which they use with the best effect. Mark, how the epithets rise one above another in the following scale of prices : "PERSONS ABOUT TO MARRY' are informed that A four-roomed house is furnished completely for £25! A ten-roomed house luxuriously for £178 !!! A twelve-roomed house superbly for £335 !!!!” The tailors also know how to combine classical taste with Christian charity. "THE PONCHO OVERCOAT' is recommended as 'the most classic Garment introduced since the Augustan era. The The modesty of the "since" will be observed. "Poncho Overcoat" does not pretend to be more classic than the Roman Toga. Another tailoring proclamation manifests no desire but to save the public the income-tax. We suspect the government of having some hand in the advertisements of this class. What right has any man to grumble at paying the tax-gatherer, when he can compensate himself in five minutes, by purchasing a Chesterfield at a certain house in Lombard Street. But commend us to the Dublin knights of the thimble for an attractive manifesto. A house of the immortal name of Guinness dazzles us with the offer of "a superfine coat made to order for 17. 10s. 6d. !" This promises to efface the glory of the XX. The same Irish journal contains the following capital double entendre, for which we give the ingenious writer a great deal of credit: "AS HOUSEKEEPER, or would act as Cook and Housekeeper, a steady active Woman of the Established Church, who perfectly understands her business in both capacities. She is a good practical Cook, understands soups, made-dishes, confectionary in all its branches, breakfastbread, marketing, and keeping accounts; also the fashionable mode |