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COMIC CREDENTIALS.

T.R.C.G.

Sir,—­I feel myself bound in justice to you and your invaluable laughter, as well as to others who may be suffering, as I have been, with a weakly farce, to inform you of its extraordinary results in my case.  My bantling was given up by all the faculty, when you were happily shown into the boxes.  One laugh removed all sibillatory indications; a second application of your invaluable cachinnation elicited slight applause; whilst a third, in the form of a guffaw, rendered it perfectly successful.

    From the prevalence of dulness among dramatic writers, I have no
    doubt that your services will be in general requisition.

    I am, yours, very respectfully,
    J.R.  Planche. 
    C——­ C——.

Sir,—­I beg to inform you, for the good of other bad jokers, that I deem the introduction of your truly valuable cachinnation one of the most important ever made; in proof of which, allow me to state, that after a joke of mine had proved a failure for weeks, I was induced to try your cachinnation, by the use of which it met with unequivocal success; and, I declare, if the cost were five guineas a guffaw, I would not be without it.

    Yours truly,
    Charles Delaet Waldo Sibthorp (Colonel).

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“MY NAME’S THE DOCTOR”—­(vide Peel’s Speech at Tamworth.)

The two doctors, Peel and Russell, who have been so long engaged in renovating John Bull’s “glorious constitution!” though they both adopt the lowering system at present, differ as to the form of practice to be pursued.  Russell still strenuously advocates his purge, while Sir Robert insists upon the efficacy of bleeding.

  “Who shall decide when doctors disagree?”

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PUNCH’S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE.—­NO. 1.

BEING A VERY FAMILIAR TREATISE ON ASTRONOMY.

Our opinion is, that science cannot be too familiarly dealt with; and though too much familiarity certainly breeds contempt, we are only following the fashion of the day, in rendering science somewhat contemptible, by the strange liberties that publishers of Penny Cyclopaedias, three-halfpenny Informations, and twopenny Stores of Knowledge, are prone to take with it.

In order to show that we intend going at high game, we shall begin with the stars; and if we do not succeed in levelling the heavens to the very meanest capacity—­even to that of

[Illustration:  AN INFANT IN ARMS—­]

we shall at once give up all claims to the title of an enlightener of the people.

Every body knows there are planets in the air, which are called the planetary system.  Every one knows our globe goes upon its axis, and has two poles, but what is the axis, and what the poles are made of—­whether of wood, or any other material—­are matters which, as far as the mass are concerned, are involved in the greatest possible obscurity.