Page:The Story of the House of Cassell (book).djvu/37

 Kossuth, the Hungarian exile, through the streets of London. There had appeared in the Friend a series of articles by Cassell proclaiming Kossuth's heroism and unselfish patriotism. From the office in the Strand where his papers were issued Cassell hung out a large Hungarian tricolour. Kossuth saw it as he passed, ordered the postilions to stop, and sent in a messenger to say that he desired the pleasure of shaking hands with Cassell. The greeting took place amid an outburst of cheering from the crowd in the streets and the spectators at the windows. Cassell was afterwards present with Cobden at the great meeting on Copenhagen Fields, Islington, when Kossuth delivered his eloquent address of gratitude to the English people for their sympathy towards Hungary.

Cassell now took the decisive step which led him to become a publisher on the grand scale. In order better to cope with the increasing sales of his publications, he bought the whole of Cathrell's plant, became proprietor of every department of his business, and imposed upon his title pages the legend, soon to become so familiar, "Printed and Published by John Cassell."

It was a "great" year, 1851—the year of the Exhibition. Cassell was not the man to let such a chance go by. Undaunted by the display of preparations by all the chief papers, and especially by the Illustrated London News, he made up his mind to bring out a better story of the Exhibition than anybody else. It cost him money, but it was profitable outlay, for popular interest in the Exhibition was intense. About a fortnight beforehand announcements appeared in the Press of the forthcoming publication of the Illustrated Exhibitor, a periodical description of various features of the show, with a liberal supply of engravings. The first week in June Cassell ordered advertisements to be inserted in the papers to the value of £100. His manager seriously admonished him on this extravagance. "This Exhibition time," said Cassell, banging the table with his fist, "everybody is going to