ARTEMUS

WARD  , the pen-name of Charles Farrar Browne (1834-1867), American humorous writer, was born in Waterford, Maine . He began life as a compositor and became an occasional contributor to the daily and weekly journals . In 1858 he published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer the first of the "Artemus Ward " series, which attained great popularity both in America and England . His separate publications were: Artemus Ward: his Book (New York, 1862); Artemus Ward: his Travels (New York, 1865); Artemus Ward among the Fenians (1865); Betsey Jane Ward: hur Book of Goaks (New York, 1866), generally attributed to him; Artemus Ward in London, and other Papers (New York, 1867) . Artemus Ward's Lecture at the Egyptian Hall . . . and other Relics of the Humourist (London, 1869), edited by T . W . Robertson and J . C . Hotten, was published posthumously (New York, 1869) . His wit largely relied on the drollery of strange spelling . In 186o he became editor of Vanity Fair, a humorous New York weekly, which proved a failure .

About the same

time he began to appear as a lecturer, and his eccentric humour attracted large audiences . In 1866 he visited England, where he became exceedingly popular both as a lecturer and as a contributor to Punch . In the spring of the following year his health gave way, and he died of consumption at Southampton on the 6th of March 1867 . His Complete Works, with memoir by E . P . Hingston, were published in London in the same year, and Sandwiches at New York in 187o .