Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/211

 ID s. xii. AUG. 28, 1909.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

171

to the right or to the left, he moves the machine in whichever direction he pleases."

Then, after a description of the appearance of the extraordinary monoplane, which was like a bird, with " glass eyes as natural as life," the wTiter goes on to say that 4t the machine's flight lasts only three hours, after which the wings gradually close themselves. Then the inventor, perceiving this, goes down gently so as to get on his own feet, and then winds up the clockwork and gets himself ready again upon the wings (assettarsi sopra le ali) for the continuation of a new flight. He himself told us that if by chance one of the wheels came off or one of the wings broke, it is certain he would inevitably fall rapidly to the ground, and there- fore he does not rise more than the height of a tree or two, as also he only once put himself in the risk of crossing the sea, and that was from Calais to Dover, and the same morning he arrived then

in London He has lately made a trip from

the London Park (Parco di Londra) as far as Windsor Lodge and back, the whole in less than two hours. He proposes to fly on His Majesty's birthday, starting from the top of the Monument at 16 o'clock Italian time (i.e. four P.M.), and make the tour of the whole city of London and its suburbs, and settle down in the Park about 18 o'clock (six P.M.)."

This remarkable letter was printed at the time in a book entitled ' La Storia dell' Anno MDCCLI.,' published at Amsterdam for a Venetian librarian ; and Grimaldi and his invention ("riding which he flew in 1751 from Calais to London, making seven leagues an hour ") are mentioned in another Italian book, printed at Parma in 1781, and entitled ' Memorie degli Architetti Antichi e Moderni,' the author of which, however, regards the whole affair somewhat sceptically. The ' Biografia Universale Antica e Morlerna,' published at Venice in 1816, not only recounts the fact, but adds that Grimaldi was a Jesuit, noting at the same time that a certain Pingeron, who translated the above-mentioned ' Memorie ' into Fiench, commented on, and even con- firmed, the story of Grimaldi' s exploits, which are also noted and vouched for by the ' Bibliotheque des Ecrivains de la Compagnie de Jesus.' published at Liege in 18o4.

It would be interesting to know whether any contemporary English work or journal, such as The Gentleman s Magazine, makes mention of an event which, if the letter is really genuine, must have created con- siderable excitement at the time. Has any reader of ' N. & Q.' found traces of the story ? JOHN H. DURHAM.

Bergamo.

The account I sent from Ersch anc Gruber's ' Encyclopaedia of Arts and Sciences is corroborated in The Daily Chronicle for the

pondent says that a discussion has arisen n that city as to M. Bleriot being the first whose feat I drew attention. D. J.
 * rcl inst., p. 3, col. 2. The Milan corre-
 * o fly the Channel. It is maintained that
 * he honour is due to the Italian Grimaldi, to

MACAULAY ON LITERATURE (10 S. xii. 130). The poem from which I. X. B. furnishes an extract was written by Macaulay on the night of his defeat at Edinburgh 30 July, 1. 847 and will be found at the end of the
 * enth chapter of Sir George Trevelyan's

Life and Letters.' His conduct on this occasion, when he illustrated in his own person the noble sentiments contained in lis letter of 3 Aug., 1832, to the electors of Leeds, has never been surpassed in my opinion by any statesman of the nineteenth century. In elevation of mind, as well as in strength of principle, it is hard to find Macaulay's peer. W. F. PRIDEAUX.

The whole poem is printed in ' The Mis- cellaneous Writings of Lord Macaulay' (Longmans, 1870) ; and the greater part of it in Sir George Trevelyan's ' Life and Letters ' (Longmans, 1878), vol. ii. p. 192. Sir George characterizes the verses as " exquisite " a verdict with which, I think, most readers will agree. Mr. J. Cotter Morison, however, in his unsym- pathetic criticism of Macaulay in the " Men of Letters " series, calls them (p. 124) " ambitious and wordy," and follows up these epithets by a couple of pages of sneering comment.

In I. X. B.'s extract "soothed" should read smoothed. T. M. W.

The lines will be found in Macaulay's miscellaneous poems. The title is ' Lines written on the Night of the 30th of July, 1847, at the Close of an Unsuccessful Con- test for Edinburgh.' WM. H. PEET.

The stanzas quoted by your correspondent are from Macaulay's 'Lines written in August, 1847.' The poem is included in Sir M. E. Grant Duff's ' Victorian Anthology.'

C. C. B.

NEIL AND NATT Gow, OR GHOW, SCOTTISH MUSICIANS (10 S. xii. 108). Neil Gow (1727- 1807), the most famous Scottish violinist of his day, was a native of Inver, near Dunkeld, where he lived and died. Mainly self-educated, he became famous for his unrivalled manipulation of his favourite instrument, his notable "bow-hand" from the first prompting experts to a confident