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That none of your sisters use the alehouse, nor the water-side, where course of strangers daily resorte.

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"CÆSAR'S FAREWELL TO BRITAIN."-In the Antiquary, Vol. iii., p. 315, is an account of Cæsar's landing in England which brought to my mind a short poem which I read some years since, entitled "Caesar's Farewell to Britain," which I have vainly endeavoured to meet with since. Can any one supply me with the lines, or tell me where they are to be

seen ?

That the Priorisse license none your sisters to go pilgrimage, or visit their frende without great cause; and then such a sister, so licentiate by you, to have with her oon of HURL DE GOLEER. the most sad and well-disposed sisters till she come home again.' This priory was valued at 737. 95. 10d. net." CRANMER AND ALLEYNE.-Can any correspondent inIs the above quotation from the "injunctions" authentic? | form me how the Alleynes (originally from Tideswell, co. It certainly contradicts all our commonly-received notions Derby) are connected with Archbishop Cranmer. Some of nunneries, to suppose that their inmates were in the Alleynes, who were located at Nottingham at the beginning habit of frequenting alehouses. of the present century, and descended from the Tideswell Alleynes, and more recently from two rectors of Loughancestor. borough (father and son), claimed the Archbishop as their I believe that Cranmer's Bible was in their posF. AUTHOR WANTED.-Can any of your readers inform me by whom the following lines were written, and where they can be found"The only moon I see, Biddy,

J. ROBERTS.

TAPPIT-HEN.-I should feel much obliged if any of your readers could tell me the origin of the word Tappit-hen. It is used by Sir Walter Scott, and many other Scotch writers, to denote a large bottle holding about a gallon. This is the explanation given by Jamieson in his Scottish Dictionary-"A cant phrase denoting a tin measure containing a quart, so called from the knob on the lid, as supposed to resemble a crested hen." Mr. Shaw, discussing old drinking customs in his "Wine, the Vine, and the Cellar," suggests that it is derived from the word cuppetin-the small barrel which French vivandieres carry. As both of these explanations appear far-fetched and improbable, I venture to appeal to the readers of the Antiquary.

H.

OLD INSCRIPTION.-The lines given below are carved over a doorway at Dunderawe, or Dunderrow, Castle, on the banks of Loch Fyne, in Argyleshire, the last seat in Scotland of the ancient family of MacNaughten. I shall feel obliged by any readings that your subscribers may suggest. "Hiestes" would appear to mean the ancients. The present motto of the family is "I hope in God."

1598.

IMAN. BEHALD. THE. END. BE. NOCHT. VYSER. NOR. THE. HIESTES. I. HOIP. IN. GOD. R.

session.

Is one small star asthore;
And that's fornenst the very cloud
It was behint before."

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All above the ground floor, which is converted into a shop, seemed in keeping with such an assertion. You probably QUAINT SAYING "SAVED HIS BACON."-On page Knowing nothing about this, may I ask the assisting guesses know all about this, but, if not, it may interest you." 61 of the August part of the Antiquary I find in a of the readers of the Antiquary? It strikes me as probable quotation of some verses "upon the burning of Dr. Sache-that the people of the house have, some time or other, converell's sermons," that seven of the bishops are said to have "saved their bacon." I have frequently used and heard others use this expression, and was under the impression it was a modern slang phrase. If I am in error should be obliged by an explanation of the origin, and meaning of the saying.

E. J. PAIN.

I

THE FAMILY OF HOOPER.-Can any reader inform me whether there is any existing pedigree of John Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester, who died in 1554, or of George Hooper, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who died in 1727; and also whether any of their descendants are still living. I should be glad of any information about their families or descendants?

J. H. H.

AUTHOR WANTED.-In a recent visit to the British

Museum, I had occasion to examine John Taylor's curious
volume, entitled "The World Runnes on Wheeles; or
Odds betwixt Carts and Coaches," with the expectation of
finding the lines following, but without success :-

"Canvaches, coaches, jades and Flanders mares,
Doe rob us of our shares, our wares, our fares:
Against the ground we stand and knock our heeles,
Whilest all our profit runs away on wheeles," &c.

founded Shakespeare with Milton. We read of the latter:"He made no long stay in St. Bride's Church Yard; necessity of having a place to dispose his books in, and other goods fit for the furnishing of a good handsome house, hastening him to take one; and accordingly a pretty garden house he took in Aldersgate-street, at the end of an entry; and therefore the fitter for his home, by the reason of the privacy, besides that there are few streets in London more free from noise than that."-Phillips's "Life of Milton,' 12mo, 1694, p. xx. I have never met with a statement on record connecting Shakespeare with the locality in question. If my supposition of the confounding of the two great Poets be correct, of course it implies utter ignorance or oblivion of dates in the putters-up of the board.

J. W. DALBY.

ANCIENT LAW COURTS.-Will some of your correspondents kindly inform me at what period the following courts were established, and what were the peculiar functions of each :--the Star Chamber, the Court of Requests, the Court of Wards, and the Court of Augmentations?

JOHN J. QUIRK.

BEAUMONT FAMILY.-Has any history of the Bellomonte or Beaumont family ever been published? If not, where can I find biographical accounts of some of its most distinThey possess a Taylorish look; can they be found in any guished members? Also, has any history of the Despensers ever appeared?

other work of his ?

E. M. STRATTON.

F.

Replies.

CAPTAIN LENCH (Vol. iv. 77).—Captain Lench, who took the part of the king, was of Rouse Lench, in Worcestershire. His father was the chief supporter of Cromwell, in that county. Baxter wrote his "Saints' Rest" under the shelter of Rouse Lench. He was disinherited by his father on account of his marriage, or politics, or both. His greatgranddaughter, Sarah Mott, born 1701, died 1774, married John Martin, great-grandfather of Mrs. Sydney Field, of Blackdown, near Leamington, and of Studley Martin, of Liverpool. The spur was lent a few years ago to an Exhibition at Peterborough, chiefly of objects connected with the time of Cromwell, and more recently to be engraved for Sir

Sibbald Scott's work on "Ancient Armour," as an authentic specimen of a spur of the date of the battle of Worcester. The gloves are beautifully embroidered, but the apparent perforations are only part of the pattern. A pillow-case of fine lace which had belonged to Captain Lench, was in the possession of the late Mr. Thomas Martin, but was stolen from him early in the present century.

Any particulars respecting the Lench family would be most acceptable to

STUDLEY MARTIN.

BISHOP OSMOND (Vol. iv. 120, 132).—This bishop was the Conqueror's second chancellor. Spelman and Dugdale leave the year of his appointment uncertain. Campbell, in the "Lives of the Lord Chancellors of England" (Vol. i. p. 42), informs us that "we might never have been informed of his having filled this office, had it not been that in 1078 he was promoted to the bishoprick of Sarum, and we find some account of him in the annals of that see. He was, of course, a Norman, for now, and long after, no Saxon was promoted to any office, civil, military, or ecclesiastical. Having come over with William and fought for him in the field, he was first made Earl of Dorset-and now being girt with a sword, while he held the Great Seal in one hand, a crosier was put into the other.

"Of Osmond's conduct in his office of chancellor, few particulars are transmitted to us; but he is said to have been much in the confidence of the Conqueror, who consulted him about all the most arduous and secret affairs of state, as well as confiding to him the superintendence of the adminis tration of justice. William of Malmesbury is the chief panegyrist, celebrating his chastity, his disinterestedness, his deep learning, and above all his love of sacred musicrepresenting as the only shade on his character his great severity to penitents, which was caused by his own immaculate life. After his elevation to the episcopal dignity, he devoted himself entirely to his sacredotal duties." He wrote the "History of the Life and Miracles of Alden, a Saxon Saint," the first Bishop of Sherborne. He also composed the service "Secundum usum Sarum," which was held in great repute till the time of the Reformation.

W. WINTERS.

NELL GWYNNE (Vol. iii. 359; iv. 45, 97).—My attention has been called to the circumstance that a portrait of Peter Cunningham appeared in the Illustrated London News of February 23, 1856. It was, however, from a photograph furnished by Cundall, of Bond-street, and the family had forgotten the circumstance.

W. R. Cooper.

The Illustrated London News points out that in the number for 23rd February, 1856, there is a wood engraved portrait of Mr. Peter Cunningham, which must be the only one extant, as Mrs. Cunningham states that no portrait of her husband was ever engraved or published. This is both a commentary on the value of evidence, and also on the use of

such a publication as the Antiquary in bringing things hidden, to light. GETE.

THE GALLOWS AT TYBURN (Vol. iv. 119).—The spot on which the Tyburn gallows was erected is now occupied by the house No. 49, Connaught-square, a fact which is especially mentioned in the lease granted by the Bishop of London, as "Tyburnia" belongs to that see. Executions took place here as early as the reign of Henry IV., 1399-1413. The last execution at Tyburn was in November, 1783. Tyburn-road is the modern Oxford-street. Pennant (who died 1798), remembered this street as "a deep hollow road and full of sloughs, with here and there a ragged house, the lurking-place of cut-throats."

R. E. WAY.

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DISCOVERY IN SWITZERLAND.-For a long time anti

quaries have been of the opinion that the weapons and implements of bronze which have been found in Switzerland have been manufactured not in that country, but beyond the Alps, and that they had been obtained thence by the Helvetians in the way of trade. Latterly, however, a few more have been discovered in France and Germany, and very recently Dr. Gros, of Neuville, has made a highly important discovery in the course of researches at the lake station of Meyringen, a site remarkable for the quantity and the excellent condition of bronzes which have been found there. Here the doctor has unearthed sundry highly interesting things, among which are crucible beds, channels for the

overflowing metal and other matters, giving evidence that a foundry had existed on the spot; besides a large number of moulds for the castings. It appears that the moulds are formed of an argillaceous clay, or of a soft steatitic rock. The steatite seems to have been employed for moulds for pins, knives, sickles, and such other implements as have a uniform surface; while the argil has been used for such things as were embossed or furnished with sockets, such as grooved bracelets, chisels, hatchets, &c. The argillaceous moulds are of two kinds, the one comprising those which were in one piece and had to be destroyed in order to take out the casting, and the other those which are in pieces, and can be taken asunder and again put together for use. Some of this latter sort are composed of steatite. One of the moulds of the first-named kind, 8 inches in length, is for a socket chisel, similar to those now in use; another, 9 inches in length, is for a knife with a socket. Among those of the second kind is one of a hatchet, which is incomplete, as well as one of a hammer with a socket, which is perfect. The steatite moulds are more numerous than those in clay, but are not so well preserved; of some only fragments remain,

aspect, suited to its ancient descent and its great value. It is four inches in diameter and half an inch thick, and its disc is covered with cabalistic-looking characters, some being bits of Persian poetry, and others more prosaic, setting forth its date. It belongs to the reign of Aurungzebe, and bears date 1083 of the Mohammedan era, which is about 1671 of ours. One wonders in how many hands, great, noble, and famous, the old coin has been since that date was first graven on its golden face. It looks very fresh and new in spite of its 200 years, and it is not likely to have been much knocked about the world, as 1600 rupees is not a sum which changes hands every day."

ANCIENT MONUMENT IN PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL. This relic, of which we give an illustration below, is considered to be one of the oldest Christian monuments now extant in England, and has twelve figures carved upon it, six on each side. They are supposed by some persons to represent the monks of Medeshamstede (Peterborough) who were murdered by the Danes, in 870; but Mr. Bloxham, in a paper read before the Archæological Society at Peterborough, denied the authenticity of the statement.

He con

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and of others the design has been nearly worn away by the water in which it has lain for so long a period; some are, however, in good condition, and among them are-a mould for a knife, formed of two slabs of steatite 93 inches in length, 4 inches in breadth, 24 inches in thickness-the two halves of this mould agree perfectly, and each has at the side a groove which was evidently the mould for a pin; a mould for a sickle, also perfect, in one semicircular slabfor this implement it was only needful to have one surface smooth, and one slab forming half of the mould for a lance. Lastly, Dr. Gros mentions a crucible of burned clay, which had evidently been much used, 7 inches in height and 5 inches in diameter at the widest part; the top is covered, and at one side near the top is a circular hole for pouring out the metal, two smaller holes being pierced on the sides for suspending the crucible.

A GRAND COIN.-The Benares correspondent of the Mussoorie Season writes :-"I have just seen a curiosity of the olden time, which, as a relic of the palmy days of Ind, I must describe to your readers. It is a hundred-mohur piece, a veritable gold coin worth 1600rs., of grand and stately

sidered that the figures are not martyred monks with their abbot, but Christ and his eleven disciples.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S CHAPEL, CHATHAM.-More discoveries of great interest have been made in this Norman edifice, or rather in the Norman part of it. Two Norman windows, which had been long closed up, have been discovered in the north transept by the Mayor of Rochester (Mr. C. R. Foord). He found the original splaying of the windows, with the red lines of the early painting clearly to be seen." It has been found that in Rochester Cathedral work exists similar to that discovered in the chapel-carved, probably, by the same Norman hand. By the research of the chaplain (the Rev. J. G. Bailey) and others, fresh discoveries of interest continue to be made at the chapel. It is hoped that the trustees of St. Bartholomew's Hospital at Rochester, to whom the chapel belongs, will do all they can to preserve and restore the ancient parts of the building.

ASSYRIAN DISCOVERIES.-The Daily Telegraph announces that the curious remains discovered by Mr. George Smith in Assyria will shortly arrive in London. One of these is a mythological tablet, on which the amorous adven

tures of the goddess Ishtar, the Assyrian Venus, are recorded. The goddess, it appears, was originally married to a deity called the Son of Life, but she quarrelled with her husband and entered on a series of discreditable amours. She has the fatal power of bringing misfortune on all whom she loves one object of her passion is changed into an animal and torn to pieces by his own dogs, and others are treated with similar cruelty when the fickle goddess is tired of them, Only Izdubar, the great Assyrian ruler, has courage to resist her tempting charms, and like Adonis declines the invitations of the goddess, whereat in a rage she returns to her celestial kingdom, and, we may hope, becomes reconciled with her husband, the Son of Life,

resting old archives of the corporation and guilds of the city. These old documents included a charter of Henry II., dated 1162 (the oldest extant), confirming to the citizens of York "all their liberties, laws, and customs, their merchandise, fleet, lands, and houses, in England and Normandy, and other lastages throughout all the coasts of the sea." Another quaint charter, granted by Richard I., in 1189, confirms to the citizens of York "acquittance of toll, lastage, wreck, pontage, passage, trespass, and customs, throughout England and Norinandy," &c. Amongst the remaining curiosities were impressions of the Corporation seals, the earliest register of admission to the freedom of the city (commencing in 1272), a list of the Mayors and Bailiffs of THE LADY OAK, CRESSAGE.-Near the village of Cress-York from the same date, also an illuminated parchment age is a very old tree, known as the "Lady Oak." Tradi- (dated 1382) signed by Richard II., and graciously granting tion says that under its branches, in Saxon times, missionaries "a general pardon to the citizens of York." preached Christianity to our Pagan forefathers. Its age is unknown, but it is doubtless very great. The trunk is hollow and much shattered, having been injured by fires lighted in it by gipsies. It has, however, been bound and propped, and a young one is growing up in the middle. At Cressage was another oak called "Christ's Oak." The word Cressage is a corruption of this name.-Oswestry Advertiser.

Proceedings of Societies.

YORKSHIRE ARCHEOLOGICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION.-The seventh annual excursion of this association took place on Wednesday, the 3rd inst., at York, the Council having invited the members and friends of the association to join them in paying a first visit to the antiquities of this city.

Amongst those who were present at this gathering were his Grace the Archbishop of York; Edward Hailstone, F.S.A., Walton Hall, Wakefield; Sir James Meek, Ven. Archdeacon Jones, the Rev. Canon Hey, the Rev. Canon Raine, the Rev. Josh. T. Fowler, F.S.A., Josh. Fowler, Winterton; J. T. Micklethwaite, F.S.A., the Rev. Geo. Ornsby, F.S.A., Jas. Fowler, F.S.A., A. W. Morant, F.S.A., T. Wilson, Edmund Wilson, Leeds; C. Macro Wilson, W. Bragge, F.S.A., the Town Clerk of York, H. S. Harland, Brompton; John Guest, Rotherham; W. Fowler Stephenson, Ripon; J. B. Kendall, M. B. Heath, Frederick Greenwood, Huddersfield; G. W. Tomlinson, T. B. Oldfield, A. Mackie, Wakefield; J. S. Stott, and S. T. Rigge, Halifax; J. Travis Clay, Rastrick; the Rev. William Fowler, Liversedge; Isaac Crawhall; the Rev. Septimus Crawhall, E. Birchall, Leeds; S. J. Chadwick, Dewsbury; John Hirst, jun., Dobcross; J. M. Leak, Hemsworth; W. Pickard, Wakefield; Mr. Walker, Malton; R. Armitage, Scarboro'; - Janeway, London; G. W. Rhodes, Dr. Scott, Huddersfield; the Rev. George B. Mellor, Hull; J. Haigh, of Dedmanstone; the Rev. J. E. Aspinall, M.A., and many others, amongst whom were several ladies from various parts of the county.

The excursionists, who numbered nearly 200, on arriving at York, assembled in the Guildhall, where they were received by Alderman Sir James Meek in the unavoidable absence of the Lord Mayor. Sir James, after welcoming the visitors to York, remarked that they had much pleasure in recognizing the enlightened spirit of research which had characterised the proceedings of the association. Referring to the extremely ancient history of York, he remarked that in the dim twilight of far antiquity, when the curtain of history arose, York was a seat of empire, and tradition pointed to a long line of antecedent dynasty. Two Roman Emperors had ended their days in the city, and the great Constantine first assumed here the imperial purple.

A paper by Mr. Davies on the "Guildhall," was then read by the secretary of the association.

The party then proceeded to the Mansion House, where they were received by the Lady Mayoress. They inspected the several apartments of interest, and also some very inte

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The next place of interest visited was the Minster. At the west door of this noble structure they were received by the Ven. Archdeacon Basil Jones and the Rev. Canon Hey. The nave was first inspected, then the north transept, the chapter house, presbytery, choir, and crypt. Upon all of these features many interesting facts were stated in the programme, including the following chronological table of the history of York Cathedral:-Saxon church, begun by King Edwin, A.D., 633; Saxon church, repaired by Wilfrid, 699; Norman nave, transepts, &c., by Archbishop Thomas, 1080; choir and crypts, by Archbishop Roger, 1154-1181; south transept, 1230-1241; north transept, 1241-1260; nave (except west front), 1291-1324; chapter house, 1320; west front of nave, 1328; wooden vault of nave, 1354; presbytery, 1361-1370; choir, 1380-1400; lanthorne tower, 14001418-1423; south-west bell tower, 1433-1447; north-west bell tower, 1470-1474. Principal monuments of Archbishops :-Archbishop Gray, died 1255; Archbishop Greenfield, died 1315; Archbishop Bowet, died 1423 (the monument was erected before 1415); and Archbishop Savage, died 1507. In addition to these details, the programme contained five excellent block plans, prepared in 1846 by the Rev. Professor Willis to illustrate his paper on the architectural history of the cathedral. These plans clearly indicated the various additions made from time to time to the great edifice, which now forms an ecclesiastical monuArchdeacon ment of surpassing grandeur and interest. Jones favoured the excursionists with a variety of verbal explanations as to the successive restorations and extensions, which different parts of the Minster have undergone during past centuries.

After luncheon the archeologists proceeded to the Museum Gardens, where they had an opportunity of inspecting the well stocked and admirably arranged museum of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. They next visited the remains of the multangular tower and part of the walls of the Roman period, part of the subsequent city walls, St. Mary's Abbey, and St. Leonard's Hospital. The party, presided over by the archbishop, then assembled in the lecture hall of the museum, when Canon Raine read a paper on the "History of St. Mary's Abbey," which entered with much ability and minuteness of research into the historical circumstances bearing upon its earlier history.

After the usual votes of thanks, the proceedings for the day concluded.

BEDFORDSHIRE ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.-This society has just made its annual excursion, St. Alban's being the chosen locality. The company first paid a visit to St. Peter's Church, the most prominent features of which were pointed out to them by the rector. They afterwards drove to Barnard's Heath, the reputed scene of the "second battle of St. Alban's," and on their return inspected the old clock tower, standing in the main street, which dates from early in the fifteenth century. The venerable Abbey Church, and also the churches of St. Michael and St. Stephen, were also visited.

Notices of Books:

of expression makes him somewhat blind to, or oblivious of lyric requirements; therefore we shrink from his unmelodious extremes' while recognizing the thinker and the intellectual pioneer in him By He may be called pre-Raphaelite in music, labouring to bring greater sincerity and earnestness into musical art as it at present exists. From this point of view may his defects be borne with. Some beauties and excellences his works certainly possess, and his disciples and successors may further, and perhaps more happily, engage in the solution of the enigma offered by the divergencies and differentiations between musical form and dramatic realism.

Notes on Beds and Bedding. Historical and Anecdotical.
James Blyth. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co. 1873.
AN entertaining little book for an idle hour. The author has
summed up a considerable number of facts relating to his theme, and
of which, perhaps, only a vague idea is generally possessed. The
subject is treated under the headings of beds ancient, beds mediaval,
and beds modern. Alluding to the variety of uses to which bed
coverings may be applied, Mr. Blyth tells a story of a traveller in
Ireland, who "was struck with some peculiarity in the cloth which
was spread upon his table at dinner in a roadside inn. On retiring
to bed, he found that it was made to serve him as a quilt. Next
morning it honoured him with its presence at breakfast. And when
his landlady kindly accompanied him for a short distance as a guide,
she wrapt it around her comely person to shield her from the cold."
A graphic description is given of some of the luxurious and magnifi-
cent beds of the middle ages, and among other facetie we find a
ludicrous royal order (promulgated, however, in all stateliness and
importance) for the making of the bed of Henry VII. The rich and
elaborate counterpanes of the royalty and aristocracy of old may
well strike astonishment into the beholder; but this will cease when
it is remembered that in former times, as the author says,
"the
bedchamber played a much more important part in court life than it
does now-a-days." French kings and queens were in the habit of
holding levées in their bedchambers. Even now, on the Continent,
sleeping apartments are frequently used as reception rooms, and are
elegantly decked out for such occasions. Our insular habits have
long since banished such a custom from among us, if indeed it ever
obtained in the degree customary abroad.

"nature

Poems. By Wraxall Hall. London: Chapman & Hall. THIS Volume of verse discloses not alone earnestness, and a thoughtful, and imaginative mind, but these excellent qualities are supplemented by the much rarer ones of original poetic expression, which occasionally develops itself in instances of rare and singular beauty. The various religious and intellectual tendencies of the age are dwelt upon with evident preference; but there is also some pretty painting," as well as the more abstruse reflections upon abstract questions. Altogether these poems are far above the average, and deserve to be more widely known than appears to be the case. Many passages recall the impassioned utterance of Mrs. Browning, while exhibiting that peculiar fusion of spirit and sense which is the proof of the special aptitude indispensable for creative efforts of the mind, and which finds countertypes in the highest manifestations of art, whether of tone or form. In a later edition the volume might, however, be advantageously compressed.

Guinevere.

MUSICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Song. Words by Lionel H. Lewin. Composed by
Arthur S. Sullivan. J. B. Cramer & Co.

Auswers to Correspondents.

D. P.-Mrs. Regina Maria Roch, authoress of the "Children of the Abbey," was the daughter of Colonel D'Alton, and wife of Ambrose Roch, Esq., grandson of James Roch, of Glyn Castle, near Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland.

S. R.-You will find the pedigree of the family you enquire about in Burke's "Royal Descents.'

J. A. D-See Brayley's and Britton's History of Surrey, by Dr. Mantell (1848); Brayley's Topographical History of Surrey (1841); and Camden's curious old description of "Suth-rey," or "Surrey, its Early History, Antiquity," &c. (1610-37).

T. Paget.-Sir Daniel K. Sandford, some time M.P. for Paisley, died in 1838.

L.A. (Dover). Why not communicate with the authorities at the local museum?

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7. R. S.-You will find all the information you require in the Shilling Knightage," published by Mr. Hardwicke, of Piccadilly. 7. S. 4.-The building of the British Museum was commenced in 1823 by Sir R. Smirke, and completed by his brother, Sydney Smirke, in 1854.

X-The picture you allude to was painted by Francis Hayman, one of the first members of the Royal Academy.

H.A. R.-A biography of Admiral John Jervis, Earl St. Vincent, was written by Captain Brenton.

was the author of the play you name.
A. Milner.-Arthur Murphy, a native of Roscommon, in Ireland,

T. H. (Acton).-The arms of Birkenhead are-Quarterly, gu. and or, a crozier in pale arg.; in the first quarter a lion passant arg.

R. Smythe.-The pedigree of the family you enquire about is fully set forth in Burke's "Landed Gentry."

Heraldicus.-The fee is 5s.

claimed to have become the rightful 6th Earl of Newburgh on the T. Richards.-The late Mr. George Goodwin, of Bradwell and Hope, death of his cousin Anthony James Radclyffe, 5th Earl, in 1814, grandson of Charles Radclyffe, last Earl of Derwentwater, and Charlotte Maria Livingstone, in her own right Countess of Newburgh.

F. (1) Besides the families you name, Burke's "Landed Gentry contains notices of the Fletchers of Garr, King's County, and of Dunans, co. Argyll. (2) The literal translation of the sentence is"The aforesaid plan to be held for the specified term."

S. L.-A manor, in the original meaning of the term, consisted of lands upon which the lord had a mansion, and to which lands and mansion there belonged a seigniory over freeholders qualified in respect of quantity of estate, and sufficient, in point of number, to constitute à Court Baron, and these freeholders were called Vavassors.

T. R.-Enquire at the Will Office, Doctors' Commons.

NOTICES.

THIS is one of the songs that excite the wonder of the critic, causing him to muse how it was that the author could furnish the words and the composer the music. The story of the poem is one wholly unsuitable for English social requirements, and inadmissible in the ordinary home circle; and yet it could scarcely be worth while to publish a composition solely for an exceptional singer like Mdlle. Titiens, to whom it is dedicated, and for whom it was expressly composed. The subject is one containing tragic elements, and its adoption could only be justified by successful treatment in harmony with the incidents upon which it is based; instead, however, of its existence being made good in this manner, the tragic, or at least carnest and serious character, which really would have been the most proper and suitable, is entirely missed, the melodramatic only remaining, with all its meretricious and artificial sentimentalism, and its approach to burlesque. It is surprising that a composer of Mr. Sullivan's dramatic resources has cared to append his name to so weak and hybrid a production. It is not pleasing in a melodic point of view, and it has not dramatic truth to make up for this. An example of the want of the latter quality may be noted in the last line of the first page, where the change from the minor into the major is false in feeling, and altogether incongruous in style. Musical composers have to fight against the fascination of the special medium in which they work, as it is liable to carry them into flights of irrelevant expression, from the very facility with which its combinations are made. Were musicians more cognisant of this danger, they would give greater attention to the study of dramatic art. What in vocal music is not founded on sound lyric principles and dramatic truth must result in false and tasteless effects. And in music the public is less able to criticise, for to understand thoroughly the mystery of sweet sounds a special technical education is required; whereas, every one with a moderately decent ear and ordinary common-sense can detect a false tone or accent in mere verbal delivery. But the divine art is superficially so much more vague, from its being par excellence emotional, that detection is more difficult; nevertheless, truth, precision of thought, and their natural and appropriate forms of realization, are to be found even in music by those who honestly seek them. Wagner is showing his sense of this in the intellectual warfare in Communications for the Editor should be addressed to the Pubwhich he is now engaged, but his enthusiasm for dramatic integrity |lishig Office, 81A, Fleet Street, London, E.C.

Correspondents who reply to queries would oblige by referring to the volume and page where such queries are to be found. To omit this gives us unnecessary trouble. A few of our correspondents are slow to comprehend that it is desirable to give not only the reference to the query itself, but that such reference should also include all previous replies. Thus a reply given to a query propounded at page 4, Vol. iii., to which a previous reply had been given at page 20, and another at page 32, requires to be set down (Vol. iii. 4, 20, 32).

We shall be glad to receive contributions from competent and capable persons accomplished in literature or skilled in archæology, and generally from any intelligent reader who may be in possession of facts, historical or otherwise, likely to be of general interest.

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