Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 11.djvu/322

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. XL APRIL s, im

doubt that Moxon obtained Tennyson's approval before entering on so expensive a publication.

Unfortunately, some time after Tennyson changed his publishers. Whether any notice was given to Brightwell I am unable to say, but eventually his great and only work, ' A Concordance to the Entire Works of Alfred Tennyson,' was published by " E. Moxon, Son & Co." in 1869. The book has (what I should imagine is) a good portrait of the Poet Laureate ; at all events, it is nicely etched from a photograph, and has a facsimile of Tennyson's signature under- neath.

Tennyson, however, had set his face against the thing, and would have nothing to do with Moxon or his book, and he stig- matized the portrait as a caricature. It is needless to say how bitter was Brightwell's disappointment at this, and to find his work of years fall almost stillborn from the press. This disaster was bad enough, but more was to follow, in which there seems a strange want of consideration for the poor enthusiast by the great man.

No sooner had Tennyson changed his publishers than he must have started a concordance under his own superintendence. Accordingly the following year there ap- peared ' A Concordance to the Works of Alfred Tennyson ' published by " Strahan, Son & Co." in 1870. To have got this out in the time a staff of workers must have been employed. The book is anonymous.

Of Brightwell's ' Concordance ' The Athe- nceum (9 Oct., 1869) said that no such piece of methodical madness was ever before perpetrated in behalf of a living author.

As I find no notice of Tennyson's own Concordance in The Athenceum, I presume that he did not send a copy for review. Neither do I find it enumerated in ' The English Catalogue, 1863-72.' There is no mention of either in ' Tennysoniana,' 1879. Brightwell's is the only one quoted by Mr. Boase in his ' Modern English Biography.' Is there now wanted a supplement to include Tennyson's subsequent works ?

Brightwell's reward has come too late. His book stands on the shelves of the Refer- ence Library in the Reading-Room of our National Library, to the exclusion of Tennyson's, thus proving its superiority to its competitor in the opinion of our great experts in books. One advantage it has over Tennyson's is that it has a single alphabet, instead of two.

I do not find Brightwell's name in any

biographical dictionary ; I have therefore taken some trouble to obtain a few facts about him. He was born at East Bergholt,. near Colchester, on 14 May, 1834. When I knew him he was a student at the Slade School in London, and he lodged in rooms in Gower Street, making a living by teaching and journalistic work.

In 1879 he became attached to the literary staff of The Birmingham Daily Post, a position he retained until his death. He was also editor until 1896 of The Birmingham Weekly Post, in which his articles, signed " Rufus," on botany, natural history, and art, were a most popular feature.

There is a notice of him in Edgbastonia for November, 1899, with a good portrait. He was never married, but on his brother dying suddenly, he adopted and brought up his family of five children. He died at Edgbaston Birmingham, on 15 Oct., 1899.

RALPH THOMAS.

WESTMINSTER CHANGES IN 1908: . THIRTEENTH YEAR,

(Concluded from p. 204.) ST. MARGARET'S PARISH.

THE past year has witnessed in this parish more changes of interest than usual. Again I have to chronicle that the very extensive works at Westminster Abbey have been carried on with more or less vigour during the year, and the north aisle is still in the workmen's hands ; some work is also in progress in the upper part of the sanctuary, but much remains to be done. It becomes apparent year by year that the fabric needs the most careful supervision at the hands of practical and experienced craftsmen.

The huge pile of buildings (covering, at present, it is said, three acres of ground) at the southern end of Parliament Street,, having also extensive frontages in Great George and Charles Streets, was completed in the past year, and the Board of Educa- tion and the Local Government Board entered into possession on Tuesday, 11 Aug. The Education Department is located in that portion of the building entered from Charles Street, while the Local Government Board is housed in the portions facing Parliament and Great George Streets. This noble building was designed by Mr. J. Brydon, F.R.I.B.A. ; but, unfortunately, he died before the superstructure was begun, so that the carrying-out of the work de- volved upon Sir Henry Tanner, F.R.I.B.A. ,.