POLITICAL CARICATURES.
Time Tory triumph in Westminster is of course a fruitful theme for HB ; who, however, Conservative as he is, cannot resist the opportu-
nity of giving a slap at Sir Fanny. In the last of his half-dozen sketches, the Apostate figures as Don Quixote attacking the show- man's lion : the lion turns his ( Westminster) rutnp, and shows that, though tame and drowsy, from lung habits of inertness, lie is not an ass in the lion's hide. The conceit of the political Quixote,—whose spear, by the way, should have taken the shape of a crutch,—is capitally ex- pressed in his look and attitude. " Taking up a Fare " is another stage- coach simile on the present state of party• politics. Burdett, who is about getting into the new coach started by Peel and Co , recognizes a familiar face in the hanger-on who opens the door. " Didn't you once drive the Derby Dilly?" condescendingly asks the baronet : "what are you doing now ?" " At present, Sir," replies the ex-whip, "I'm with these people ; but since the Dilly was done up, I haven't IA no riglar engagement "—be looks like a low fellow "out of place." Wellington the guard is tying on the new passenger's Baulk ; ;And Peel the driver is puffing off the new concern to the King wt the box. " We begin to load capital well," says coachee. " You don't say so !" dryly replies the passenger. It's evidently "no go" in that quarter.
'I he " Race for the Westminster Stakes " is not very good. The fable of the Dog and the Shadow applied to the position of Mr. Leader is a good Tory hit. The Ministers as sweeps on May-day, dancing to O'Connell's big drum, with the King as Jack in the Green, and Mr. Rice holding the ladle to John Bull, is made still more amusing by the figure of Sir Francis, in his doset trappiegs, leaving the party because " its so werry wulgur." " Following the Leader "—the Ministers car- rying Mr. Leader's placards behind O'Connell, with Peel and Welling- ton looking on, is a good election-squib. The subject is stale ; but the artist-like style and sly humour of HB, and his admirable likenesses, enable his caricatures to outlive the occasion.
His imitators only serve to make his superior talent more evident. A new rival has entered the field, but the " Six Hints from Westmin- ster " by B H, won't bear comparison with the six sketches of his pro- tntype H13. The ideas are no better than the execution : the resem- blances are not characteristic, and the style is essentially vulgar—the very opposite of II B's, which he endeavours to imitate. Burdett as Donald seduced by the Sylphide Peel, bewildered by the gyrations of Lyndhurst and the fascinations of the Sylphs of Toryism, is the best. Jim Crow is obvious, and not humorously dune. The design of the wrapper—a turned coat, mid a table topsy-turvy, with tuts nibbling at Reform-is as good as any.
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