who in defence of the native English drama endeavoured to stem the tide of translation from the French, which threatened early in the 19th century altogether to drown original native talent. His skill in construction and his mastery of epigram and brilliant dialogue are well exemplified in his comedy, Time Works Wonders (Haymarket, April 26, 1845). The tales and sketches which form the bulk of Jerrold’s collected works vary much in skill and interest; but, although there are evident traces of their having been composed from week to week, they are always marked by keen satirical observation and pungent wit.
Among the best known of his numerous works are: Men of Character (1838), including “Job Pippin: The man who couldn’t help it,” and other sketches of the same kind; Cakes and Ale (2 vols., 1842), a collection of short papers and whimsical stories; some more serious novels—The Story of a Feather (1844), The Chronicles of Clovernook (1846), A Man made of Money (1849), and St Giles and St James (1851); and various series of papers reprinted from Punch—Punch’s Letters to his Son (1843), Punch’s Complete Letter-writer (1845), and the famous Mrs Caudle’s Curtain Lectures (1846).
See W. B. Jerrold, Life and Remains of Douglas Jerrold (1859). A collected edition of his writings appeared in 1851–1854, and The Works of Douglas Jerrold, with a memoir by his son, W. B. Jerrold, in 1863–1864; but neither is complete. Among the numerous selections from his tales and witticisms are two edited by his grandson, Walter Jerrold, Bons Mots of Charles Dickens and Douglas Jerrold (new ed. 1904), and The Essays of Douglas Jerrold (1903), illustrated by H. M. Brock. See also The Wit and Opinions of Douglas Jerrold (1858), edited by W. B. Jerrold.
His eldest son, William Blanchard Jerrold (1826–1884), English journalist and author, was born in London on the 23rd of December 1826, and abandoning the artistic career for which he was educated, began newspaper work at an early age there. He was appointed Crystal Palace commissioner to Sweden in 1853, and wrote A Brage-Beaker with the Swedes (1854) on his return. In 1855 he was sent to the Paris exhibition as correspondent for several London papers, and from that time he lived much in Paris. In 1857 he succeeded his father as editor of Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, a post which he held for twenty-six years. During the Civil War in America he strongly supported the North, and several of his leading articles were reprinted and placarded in New York by the federal government. He was the founder and president of the English branch of the international literary association for the assimilation of copyright laws. Four of his plays were successfully produced on the London stage, the popular farce Cool as a Cucumber (Lyceum 1851) being the best known. His French experiences resulted in a number of books, most important of which is his Life of Napoleon III. (1874). He was occupied in writing the biography of Gustave Doré, who had illustrated several of his books, when he died on the 10th of March 1884.
Among his books are A Story of Social Distinction (1848), Life and Remains of Douglas Jerrold (1859), Up and Down in the World (1863), The Children of Lutetia (1864), Cent per Cent (1871), At Home in Paris (1871), The Best of all Good Company (1871–1873), and The Life of George Cruikshank (1882).
JERRY, a short form of the name Jeremiah, applied to various
common objects, and more particularly to a machine for finishing
cloth. The expression “jerry-built” is applied to houses built
badly and of inferior materials, and run up by a speculative
builder. There seems to be no foundation for the assertion that
this expression was occasioned by the work of a firm of Liverpool
builders named Jerry.
JERSEY, EARLS OF. Sir Edward Villiers (c. 1656–1711),
son of Sir Edward Villiers (1620–1689), of Richmond, Surrey,
was created Baron Villiers and Viscount Villiers in 1691 and earl
of Jersey in 1697. His grandfather, Sir Edward Villiers (c. 1585–1626),
master of the mint and president of Munster, was half-brother
of George Villiers, 1st duke of Buckingham, and
of Christopher Villiers, 1st earl of Anglesey; his sister was
Elizabeth Villiers, the mistress of William III., and afterwards
countess of Orkney. Villiers was knight-marshal of
the royal household in succession to his father; master of the
horse to Queen Mary; and lord chamberlain to William III. and
Queen Anne. In 1696 he represented his country at the congress
of Ryswick; he was ambassador at the Hague, and after becoming
an earl was ambassador in Paris. In 1699 he was made secretary
of state for the southern department, and on three occasions he
was one of the lords justices of England. In 1704 he was dismissed
from office by Anne, and after this event he was concerned
in some of the Jacobite schemes. He died on the 25th of August
1711. The 2nd earl was his son William (c. 1682–1721), an
adherent of the exiled house of Stuart, and the 3rd earl was the
latter’s son William (d. 1769), who succeeded his kinsman John
Fitzgerald (c. 1692–1766) as 6th Viscount Grandison. The 3rd
earl’s son, George Bussy, the 4th earl (1735–1805), held several
positions at the court of George III., and on account of his
courtly manners was called the “prince of Maccaronies.” The
4th earl’s son, George, 5th earl of Jersey (1773–1859), one of the
most celebrated fox-hunters of his time and a successful owner
of racehorses, married Sarah Sophia (1785–1867), daughter of
John Fane, 10th earl of Westmorland, and granddaughter of
Robert Child, the banker. She inherited her grandfather’s
great wealth, including his interest in Child’s bank, and with her
husband took the name of Child-Villiers. Since this time the
connexions of the earls of Jersey with Child’s bank has been maintained.
Victor Albert George Child-Villiers (b. 1845) succeeded
his father George Augustus (1808–1859), 6th earl, who had only
held the title for three weeks, as 7th earl of Jersey in 1859.
This nobleman was governor of New South Wales from 1890
to 1893.
JERSEY, the largest of the Channel Islands, belonging to
Great Britain. Its chief town, St Helier, on the south coast of
the island, is in 49° 12′ N., 2° 7′ W., 105 m. S. by E. of Portland
Bill on the English coast, and 24 m. from the French coast to the
east. Jersey is the southernmost of the more important islands
of the group. It is of oblong form with a length of 10 m. from
east to west and an extreme breadth of 614 m. The area is 28,717
acres, or 45 sq. m. Pop. (1901), 52,576.
The island reaches its greatest elevation (nearly 500 ft.) in the north, the land rising sharply from the north coast, and displaying bold and picturesque cliffs towards the sea. The east, south and west coasts consist of a succession of large open bays, shallow and rocky, with marshy or sandy shores separated by rocky headlands. The principal bays are Grève au Lançons, Grève de Lecq, St John’s and Bouley Bays on the north coast; St Catherine’s and Grouville Bays on the east; St Clement’s, St Aubin’s and St Brelade’s Bays on the south; and St Ouen’s Bay, the wide sweep of which occupies nearly the whole of the west coast. The sea in many places has encroached greatly on the land, and sand drifts have been found troublesome, especially on the west coast. The surface of the country is broken by winding valleys having a general direction from north to south, and as they approach the south uniting so as to form small plains. The lofty hedges which bound the small enclosures into which Jersey is divided, the trees and shrubberies which line the roads and cluster round the uplands and in almost every nook of the valleys unutilized for pasturage or tillage, give the island a luxuriant appearance, neutralizing the bare effect of the few sandy plains and sand-covered hills. Fruits and flowers indigenous to warm climates grow freely in the open air. The land, under careful cultivation, is rich and productive, the soil being generally a deep loam, especially in the valleys, but in the west shallow, light and sandy. The subsoil is usually gravel, but in some parts an unfertile clay. Some two-thirds of the total area is under cultivation, great numbers of cattle being pastured, and much market gardening practised. The potato crop is very large. The peasants take advantage of every bit of wall and every isolated nook of ground for growing fruit trees. Grapes are ripened under glass; oranges can be grown in sheltered situations, but the most common fruits are apples, which are used for cider, and pears. A manure of burnt sea-weed (vraic) is generally used. The pasturage is very rich, and is much improved by the application of this manure to the surface. The breed of cattle is kept pure by stringent laws against the importation of foreign animals. The milk is used almost exclusively to manufacture butter. The cattle are always housed in winter, but remain out
