25 JANUARY 1902, Page 32

ENGLISH GOOD HUMOUR.

[To TUE EDITOR OF TUE "SPEOTATOR.") SIB,—In your interesting article in the issue of January 18th on " English Good Humour" you mention Mr. Chamberlain and Sir Richard Temple as examples amongst typical and distinguished men who take caricatures of themselves un- resentfully and with no signs of displeasure. The area of your illustrations might have been considerably enlarged. Will you allow me to call your attention to another very distinguished example of the same kind of magnanimity ? Mr. J. A. Fronde in his pleasing Life of Lord Beaconsfield tells us that John Leech had for twenty years made him ridiculous in the cartoons in Punch. Leech had a pension which would have died with him. Disraeli continued it to his widow and children. Again, on the same page he tells us that Carlyle bad never spoken of him but with contempt; but, notwithstanding, he wrote him a dignified letter, offeriug him in the Queen's name the Grand Cross of the Bath, a dis- tinction never before conferred on any English author, with a life income corresponding to such a rank. It is true Car- lyle declined the compliment and the advantage, but the generosity of the offer is linked with the name of Beacons-