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THE BRITISH ARMY: MASCOTS.-I would ECCLESIASTICAL FOLK-LORE.-The Casube much obliged if you could let me know ists (e.g. S. Alphonsus de Ligorio, 4. i. 1, where I can have full information and quoting Busembaum) condemn as superphotographs about pets and mascots in the stitious such practices as hearing Mass British Army. Is there any book on the before sunrise with candles arranged in a subject? particular order, position, or number, or said by a priest named John, or by one of Is there other the exact stature of Christ. date are they? evidence of these superstitions, and of what S. G.

DR. SEE. Hôpital 23. Houlgate (Calvados), France. "FAT, FAIR, AND FORTY."-This alliteration has been attributed to the Prince Regent as descriptive of what a wife should be. Douglas Jerrold is reported to have said that such a wife would be all very well if you could do with her as you could with a bank note, viz., change her, when you felt so inclined, for two of twenty. With regard to the alliteration, I find in Bartlett's 'Familiar Quotations,' in a note to a quotation from Dryden, p. 275, a reference to Scott's 'St. Ronan's Well,' chap. vii., where "a comely dame is spoken of as Fat, fair, and forty," and also a reference to a letter of Mrs. Richard Trench of Feb. 18, 1816, in which she writes: "Lord is going to marry Lady a fat, fair, and fifty cardplaying

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resident of the Crescent."

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In canto i stanza 62 of 'Don Juan,'
Byron, referring to Donna Julia, says:—
Wedded she was some years, and to a man

Of fifty, and such husbands are in plenty ;
And yet, I think, instead of such a ONE
'Twere better to have Two of five-and-twenty,
Especially in countries near the sun;

And now I think on't," mi vien in mente,"
Ladies even of the most uneasy virtue
Prefer a spouse whose age is short of thirty.
Does this witticism appear anywhere
before the publication of 'Don Juan'?
Inner Temple.

HARRY B. POLAND.

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I have a little calendar for the year 1796,
wanting its title-page. It includes several
pages of Poetry for the Ladies,' and the
first of the poems is an Elegy on Retire-
ment,' which begins :-
Silent and clear thro' yonder peaceful vale,
While Marne's slow waters wave their mazy way,
See, to th' exulting sun, and fost'ring gale,
The fifth verse says:-
What boundless treasures his rich fruit display.

O dire effects of war! The time has been
One ravag'd desert was yon beauteous scene,
When desolation vaunted here her reign;
And Marne ran purple to the frighted Seine.
Who is the author of this elegy?

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I. Y.

THE MORAY MINSTRELS.-A recent obituary notice of a musical amateur described him as one of the original members of the Moray Minstrels." My only recollection of that body was that the programme of the amateur performance on behalf of the family of the late C. H. Bennett (a wellknown artist, and illustrator of publications which appeared 1855-65) at the Theatre Royal, Adelphi, on May 11, 1867, includes:

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Those Celebrated Amateurs, the Moray Minstrels,' will sing the following glees, part

Any information regarding the above will be welcome. Did he leave any issue, and are there any descendants living to-day? E. HAVILAND HILLMAN, F.S.G. 4 Somers Place, Hyde Park, W.

songs, &c. Conductor, Mr. John Forster." Square, Elizabeth St. Leger, daughter of (Then follow nine items.) As first-rate talent James George Douglas of London, agent was represented at this benefit performance for St. Kitts. by Shirley Brooks, Mark Lemon, John Tenniel, Horace Mayhew, F. C. Burnand, and the Misses Kate, Florence, and Ellen Terry (Mrs. Watts), it may be assumed that the Moray Minstrels occupied a fairly high plane. Information or personal reminiscences of them would be welcome. W. B. H.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WANTED.

I should be glad to obtain any particulars of
the further career of the following persons,
and the dates of their respective deaths:
(1) Thomas Hobart, fellow of Trin. Coll.,
Camb., who graduated M.A. 1694. (2) Robert
Hobbes, scholar of Trin. Coll., Camb., who
graduated M.A. 1605. (3) John Hockett,
fellow of Trin. Coll., Camb., who graduated
M.A. 1666. (4) John Hoddesdon, who gra-
duated M.A. at Oxford from Christ Church in
1617. (5) George Hodges, who graduated
B.A. at Oxford from Christ Church in
1743, and became Rector of Woolstanton,
Salop. (6) Samuel Holford, who matricu-
lated at Oxford from Magdalen Hall in 1712,
and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn,
April 28, 1719. (7) Walter Holmes, scholar
of Trin. Coll., Camb., who graduated M.A.
1622.
G. F. R. B.

ROBERT CHILD, M.P., THE BANKER, died July 28, 1782. Whom and when did he marry? I should be glad to ascertain also the maiden name of his mother, the wife of Samuel Child of Osterley, who died 'im

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mensely rich" in 1752. Is there any printed pedigree of this family? G. F. R. B.

JOHN WILLETT OF LONDON, MERCHANT.This gentleman, the son of Thomas Willett, Esq., of New York City, and grandson of Capt. Richard Willett of the same place (but some time previous to 1693 of Barbados, W.I.), was a merchant in London in 1783. It is possible that he was already a resident of London in 1767; for the administration of his father's will, dated 26 Dec., 1766, at New York, and who was speedily about to depart beyond the seas," was granted to John Willett, the son, on 20 Oct., 1767 (P.C.C. 399 Secker).

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It is probable that he is the John Willett, mentioned in Caribbeana' (vol. ii. p. 291) as of "parentage unknown," of Broad Street, London, merchant, 1767, and of St. Benet Fink, 1769, who on 2 March of the latter year married at St. George's, Hanover

AUTHOR OF FRENCH SONG WANTED.-Can any reader kindly tell me the composer and date of first publication of the French song 66 Ah, vous dirai-je, maman ?" It was probably written about 1800.

E. L.

OUDART AND WORTING FAMILIES.-Joseph Worting or Werting was Master of the Grammar School at Guilsborough about 1700-1718, and I should be grateful for any particulars of his parentage and education. His wife's name was Dorothy, and they had a son born Sept. 12, 1703, and baptized by the name of Oudart. Nicholas Oudart, F.R.S., Latin Secretary to King Charles II., had a daughter Dorothy, unmarried at the date of his will, 1672, as I learn from Chester's note on his burial in Westminster Abbey. Did this Dorothy become the wife of Joseph Worting? A. T. M.

Replies.

THE SOCIETY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL
INFORMATION.

(11 S. xii. 462, 508.)

THIS Society was formed in 1780, and in
April of that year it issued a preliminary

statement, in which it was resolved :

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That this Society be unlimited in its number; and that no one shall be esteemed a member who hath not subscribed and paid at least one guinea as an annual subscription towards its expenses; and that no annual subscription shall exceed five guineas; and if any one shall choose to compound by paying down fifty guineas, he shall be deemed a perpetual member."

All subscriptions and donations were to be paid to T. B. Hollis, Esq., Craven Street, "until a Treasurer be appointed. Strand, This preliminary circular is signed by the following::Ed. Bridgen, Esq.,

F.R.A.S.

R. Brocklesby, M.D.,

F.R.S.

Rev. Mr. Bromley.
Major Cartwright.
John Churchill, Esq.
John Frost, Esq.
T. B. Hollis, Esq.,
F.R.A.S.

J. Jebb, M.D., F.R.S.
C. Lofft, Esq.
Colonel Miles.

R. Price, D.D., F.R.S.
Thomas Rogers, Esq.
R. B. Sheridan, Esq.
James Trecothick, Esq.
John Vardy, Esq.
Frederick Vincent, Esq.

The objects of the Society are stated in a further circular to be

"to diffuse throughout the kingdom as universally as possible, a knowledge of the great principles of Constitutional Freedom, particularly such as respect the election and duration of the representative body. With this view Constitutional Tracts, intended for the extension of this knowledge and to communicate it to persons of all ranks, are printed and distributed Gratis, at the expence of the Society. Essays and extracts from various authors, calculated to promote the same design, are also published under the direction of the Society, in several of the Newspapers: and it is the wish of the Society to extend this knowledge throughout every part of the United Kingdom, and to convince men of all ranks, that it is their interest, as well as their duty, to support a free constitution, and to maintain and assert those common rights, which are essential to the dignity and to the happiness of human To procure short parliaments and a more equal representation of the people, are the primary objects of the attention of this Society, and they wish to disseminate that knowledge among their Countrymen, which may lead them to a general sense of the importance of these objects, and which may induce them to contend for their rights, as men, and as citizens, with ardour and with firmness.

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"The communication of sound political knowledge to the people at large must be of great national advantage; as nothing but ignorance of their natural rights, or inattention to the consequence of these rights to their interest and happiness, can induce the majority of the inhabitants of any country to submit to any species of civil tyranny. Public Freedom is the source of natural dignity, and national felicity; and it is the duty of every friend to virtue and mankind to exert himself in the promotion of it."

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Gough, Berks,' 26, Steele's Collection, 66 This is he of whom P. 21 (Bodleian), says:

ye Prouerb The Vicar of Bray still.''

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He was the twentieth vicar. I have not the date of his institution, but his predecessor was instituted 1522/3. The author of Hundred of Bray,' pub. 1861, confirms the statement about Col. Fuller, but gives no authority. It is not perhaps generally known that there was a Vicar of Bray who to a great extent coincides with the song. His tombstone is in the centre aisle of Bray Church, and the inscription is as follows:

"Subter jacet Devoniensis Franciscus Carswell sacræ Theologiæ Doctor, Regibus Carolo 2do et Jacobo 2do Capellanus; Ecclesiæ de Remnam Rector. Hujus Bibrocensis Vicarius 42 annos. Etatis suæ 70. Obiit 24 Aug., 1709.'

It may well be that, if the tradition of the song being written by an officer of Guards temp. George I. is founded on fact, this officer may have been a Bray man, who in recording the tradition had his own vicar in mind. G. H. PALMER.

In a List of Successions of Colonels there occurs Francis Fuller, 29th Regt., Aug. 28, 1739. See Army List,' printed by J. Millan, the whole complete for 1773, p. 215. The regiment at that date would probably be known by the name of its colonel.

R. J. FYNMORE.

The earliest meeting of the Society was held at the King's Arms Tavern, New Palace Yard, and later meetings at the Freemasons' Tavern (May 27, 1780), at New Inn CoffeeHouse (Feb. 15 and May 24, 1782), at THOMAS GRIFFIN TARPLEY (11 S. xii. 482). Holyland's Coffee-House (Jan. 24, 1783), and-On his son's matriculation at Christ at 11 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden Church, Oxon (Dec. 24, 1798, aged 17), (Oct. 29, 1784). Dr. Tarpley was given as of the Isle

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The only list of officials I can find is as of Jersey, armiger.' He had married

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Martin, James, Esq., President.
Bridgen, Edward, Esq., Treasurer.
Churchill, John, Esq., Vice-President.
Shove, Alured Henry, Esq., Vice-President.
Trecothick, James, Esq., Vice-President.
Yeates, Thomas, Jun., Secretary.

The Society issued a quantity of leaflets, &c., under the general title of

"Tracts published and distributed gratis by the Society for Constitutional Information, with a design to convey to the minds of the people, a knowledge of their rights, principally those of representation." London, W. Richardson, 403

Strand, 1783, &c.

187 Piccadilly, W.

A. L. HUMPHREYS.

Catherine, fourth daughter of Kenneth, Lord Fortrose, eldest son of William Mackenzie, fifth Earl of Seaforth, attainted by Act of Parliament for his participation in the rebellion of 1715. The younger Tarpley, at Christ Church, was Student until 1816, B.A. 1802, M.A. 1805, Proctor 1813, and Vicar of Flower, Northants, 1815.

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(not Lady) C. Mackenzie, and apparently "ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR (11 S. went to live in Jersey, where, about 1780, xi. 151, 198; xii. 380, 446).-Whoever first was born his son, who became Vicar of formulated this sentiment may be supposed, Floore 1815. The father was possibly son like the Eatanswill Gazette reviewer of the of the "polished Dr. Th. Tarpley of work on Chinese metaphysics, to have Lunenburg, in Virginia. OLD SARUM. combined his information.' For the separate notions that all is fair in war and that all is fair in love must have been current in very early times. When Virgil makes Æneas cry (Æn.,' ii. 390),

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Dolus an virtus, quis in hoste requirat? a commentator tries to affiliate the thought to Pindar's

χρὴ δὲ πᾶν ἔρδοντα μαυρῶσαι τὸν ἐχθρόν. Isthmian Odes,' iii. 66. Dr. James Henry in his entertaining if from Casti, Animali Parlanti,' xi. 4, discursiveÆneidea' quotes (vol. ii. p. 197)

Vincasi per virtude, ovver per frode,
E sempre il vincitor degno di lode;

before virtus

THE NEWSPAPER PLACARD (11 S. xii. 483). -I cannot say when newspapers first began to issue placards announcing their principal contents; but such method of advertising is obviously a mere development of the use of the posters which were common in pre-newspaper days. The first posters were properly so called. They were notices pasted on the posts which once separated the footpath from the roadway-or at all events indicated where the footpath might be supposed to be. These bills on posts are often alluded to in seventeenth-century literature. In 1567 Londoners seem to have taken great interest in the whereabouts of and, after giving the words from Ammianus certain Flemings who had fled from Flanders; Marcellinus, xvii. 5, in which the Persian and Stowe mentions that on the morning king Sapor is represented as reproaching of May 4, "beyng Sonday," bills against the Romans for drawing no distinction with the fugitives, adorned significantly and "dolus," adds:gallowsys, and, as it were, hangynge of "Innocent Sapor! how little he knew about 'virtus' or 'dolus'! that never man lived who Flemyngs drawne in the same papars or had not one' virtus, as one 'dolus,' for his friends, bylls," were found "fyxed on postes abowte and another virtus,' as another dolus,' for his the citie," to the great excitement of the enemies." passers-by. Plays were announced in the same way. Pepys says he went out to see what play was to be acted, but found none upon the post because it was Passion week. New books and pamphlets were announced by these early posters. Gay winds up his 'Trivia' with a couplet, in the spirit of his friend, and everybody's friend, Horace, in praise of his own work:High raised on Fleet-street posts, consigned to fame, This work shall shine, and walkers bless my name. All kinds of advertisements were similarly posted, as well as police notices and descriptions of criminals. Hermione, in 'The Winter's Tale,' says that her guilt has been proclaimed on every post.' The newspaper placard is one of the innumerable modern developments of an old practice. G. L. APPERSON.

HAGIOGRAPHY

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That all is fair in love has been expressed by Ovid in

Juppiter ex alto periuria ridet amantum, &c. Ars Am.,' i. 633. and, before him, by Tibullus, iv. 21, Nec iurare time: Veneris periuria uenti Irrita per terras et freta summa ferunt; and that love is warfare finds expression in Ovid's

Militat omnis amans.

'Amores,' I. ix. 1. EDWARD BENSLY.

ANASTATIC PRINTING (11 S. xii. 359, 403, 443). The following extract from The Repertory of Arts,' 1832, pp. 401-2, shows that the invention ascribed to Appel (Woods' Patent Specn. 10,219 of 1844) is of much earlier date. Though the two processes ere not identical, the similarity between them is OF CYPRUS (11 S. xii. very close. The extract runs :460). Can Pakhou be a form of Pakhom brought into use at Brussels, whereby French A new process has been discovered and (Pachomius), so greatly venerated in neigh-books and journals may be printed with great bouring Egypt? I suspect that many of facility and accuracy. It consists of an operation, the others, especially if local saints, will be by which, in less than half an hour, the whole of very difficult to identify. Some help might the letterpress upon a printed sheet may be transbe obtained if the date of the saint's festa ferred to a lithographic stone, leaving the paper a complete blank. By means of a liquid the could be ascertained by local inquiry. letters transferred to the stone, are brought out in relief within the space of another hour, and

S. G.

then, with the usual application of the ordinary landed magnate, also in the Midlands printing ink, 1,500 or 2,000 copies may be drawn thought her husband's tenants ill-mannered off, resembling the original typography. The immense advantages of this discovery, for which if they merely took off their hats to her, M. Mecus Vandermaeien has solicited a patent, instead of giving what she considered may be easily conceived. A first application of the more appropriate salutation of raising this discovery has been made by him upon the the hand to the forehead, as if to pull or Gazette des Tribunaux, which is to appear at smooth down the forelock. Her opinion Brussels under a new title." caused both irritation and merriment Meeus Vandermalen is the correct form of the name. among young people. Some of the older E. WYNDHAM HULME. ones, however, liked the ancient, traditional Sevenoaks. gestures, which in their youth had been an indication of polite training, distinguishing mannerly people from the vulgar and ignorant who had nothing to do with important families.

ENSIGNS IN

THE ROYAL NAVY (11 S. xii. 463). The first introduction of ensigns in the Navy appears to have taken place in 1189, when, according to Wm. Laird Cowes in the first volume of his work The Royal Navy,' Richard I. first used the flag of St. George as the regular national ensign. Then, again, in the second volume

of his work he states that

soon after the Union of England and Scotland

in 1603, all British vessels for a time flew the Union Flag of the Crosses of St. George and St. Andrew, but on May 5th, 1634, it was ordered by proclamation that men-of-war only were to fly it in future, and that merchantmen, according to their nationality, were to wear the St. George's or the St. Andrew's Flag merely. This rule endured until Feb., 1649, when Parliament directed

men-of-war to wear as an ensign the St. George's

Cross on a white field."

In addition to Clowes's great work this subject is fully dealt with in the various E. E. BARKER. encyclopædias.

John Rylands Library, Manchester.

PORTRAITS WANTED (11 S. xii. 462, 509).— For portraits of Frederick Barnard (Dickens illustrator) see Illustrated London News (1892), c. 592; ibid. (1896), cix. 423, and The Magazine of Art (1896), xx. 56. For portraits of Finley Peter Dunne (creator of Mr. Dooley ") see The Academy (1899), lvi.

231;

The Book-buyer (1899), xviii. 13; The Bookman (1899), ix. 216; The Century Magazine (1901), xli. 63; The Critic (1899), xxxiv. 205; ibid. (1902), xl. 336; and Harper's Weekly (1903), xlvii. 331.

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E. E. BARKER,

YES, SIR "(11 S. xii. 458).—I have twice heard Yes, sir," used by children when addressing a lady, but only twice. Probably in each instance it was an error arising from nervousness.

In what parts of England does the reverential curtesy hold its own as a greeting? About 1875, when it was still used in a Midland district which was visited by a Scotch friend of mine, she expressed surprise, for she was quite unfamiliar with it. About the same time the wife of a

This reminds me that about the middle of the nineteenth century the great lady of a parish took means to prevent the daughters of the village doctor using parasols, which she considered quite unfitted for their position.

SOUTHUMBRIAN.

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COLTON (11 S. xii. 459).-Witting Colton was admitted to Westminster School about 1710. He tried unsuccessfully to get on the foundation in 1711, but in the following year got in head of his election. In 1716 he was elected head to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was admitted scholar, 10 May, 1717; minor fellow, 2 Oct., 1722; and major In the Parentelæ fellow, 2 July, 1723. or lists of Minor Candidates for 1711 and 1712 he is described as the son of Richard Colton of London. G. F. R. B.

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J. G. LE MAISTRE, NOVELIST, 1800 (11 S. xii. 480).—John Gustavus Le Maistre was admitted to Westminster School Jan. 13, 1778, and matriculated at Oxford from Ch. Ch. July 5, 1786. He subsequently migrated to Queen's, and graduated B.A. in 1790. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn June 23, 1786, and was called to the bar June 29, 1791. In his admission to Lincoln's Inn he is described as the only son of Hon. Stephen Cæsar Lemaistre of Calcutta decd." In the 'Biographical Dictionary of Living Authors' (1816) his name appears as the

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