Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/458

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. xii. NOV. 6, im.

in existence then, except babies, was Gertrude, the third daughter of the first Baronet, and sister of the second and third Baronets, who died unmarried 14 March, 1798.

In this connexion may I ask if any one can tell me the name of the above-mentioned Stephen Daubuz's father, what he was, and where he lived ? F. DE H. L.

"THE MATJRADEN" (10 S. xii. 149). This is clearly a misreading of manradene, or some other form of manred, more familiar under its Scottish form manrent. See 'N.E.D.' Q. V.

LAST DUEL WITH SWORDS IN ENGLAND (10 S. xii. 227, 290). Dr. Doran in ' Habits and Men,' 1855, writes :

"I think that the last duel, certainly the last fatal duel, fought with swords, was between Lord Byron and Mr. Chaworth."

This occurred in January, 1765.

Dr. Mead died in 1754, aged 81. The probable date of his duel with Woodward would be 1719. R. J. FYNMORE.

SCOTT'S ' LOCHINVAR ' (10 S. xii. 268, 336). What is wrong with Sir Walter's lines ? So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung, So light to the saddle before her he sprung.

Lochinvar, of course, reached the saddle by throwing his leg over the horse's neck, instead of laboriously travelling over the animal's hind- quarters. The reader is re- quired to imagine an old Border tower, with a flight of steps running up to the doorway. Beside the steps the steed stands waiting, with reins, perhaps, loosely secured to a staple in the wall. Dancing out through the doorway, Lochinvar swings the lady lightly to the croupe, and with a vault alights in the saddle before her. A mode- rately active ploughman could perform the same feat with perfect ease. Scott, of course, was aware that there are other modes of getting on horseback than by clutching the mane, inserting a foot in the stirrup, and scrambling into the saddle by way of the tail. WALTER SCOTT.

Stirling.

This point was raised (I forget where) a few years ago. If the feat was achieved from a platform, or high mounting block, there would be no great difficulty. One reads that Assheton Smith, as a very old man, used to show his friends in the Row how he could still vault from one horse to another, as had been his custom in the hunting field. H. P. L.

NOTES ON BOOKS, &0.

Modern English Biography. By Frederic Boase. Vol. IV. (Supplement, Vol. I.) A C. (Truro, Nethertori & Worth, for the Author.) BY one of those mischances which defeat the best of intentions, we have neglected to notice till now Mr. Boase's latest admirable contribution to bio- graphy. His books are among the most useful sources of reference that an editor can possess, for they give, in a concise and clear style, just those details which are hard to find.

The value of the present volume is much en- hanced by an Index which "contains references to- the most important, curious, and interesting facts, to be found" in its pages. It reveals a mine of odd and diverting details on almost every page. Thus under ' Fancy Names ' we find ' Apostle of Rail- ways,' 'Breezy Bouncer,' 'Cambridge Navvy,' 'The Shifter,' and ' The Modern Canute.' On one page occur 'Ethiopian Serenaders,' a Fossil-forger, Foot ball - players. Fox - terriers, Funambulists, and German Baking powder.

Mr. Boase's wonderfully wide and careful research is revealed by a study of almost any of the bio- graphies, \vhich are singularly complete. Thus under 'Grant Allen' we discover that he wrote books under the names of J. Arbuthnot Wilson and Olive Pratt Rayner, are told how long he lived at Hind head and Dorking, and are referred at the encl to various memoirs in the press. Under Matthew Arnold we are reminded that he is drawn as Mr. Luke in ' The New Republic,' and that he did: not recite his 'Cromwell' at Oxford in 1843, owing to the proceedings being broken off by an under- graduate row. Watts's portrait of him, a repro- duction of it, and the unveiling of a bust by Mr. Bruce Joy are all noted, as well as Mr. T. B. Smart's 'Bibliography,' and the bequest by his widow in 1901 of a memorial prize for an English essay.

To turn to a very different career, we find in the notice of Frederick James Archer an account of his- various " mounts," ending with the significant entry " Rode St. Mirin in the Cambridgeshire at 8 st. 7 Ibs. after going for 3 days without food, 26 Oct., 1886." The value of the famous jockey's estate was, it is recorded, over 66,000?. In sport as well as scholarship Mr. Boase may be relied on to- give details of interest beyond the scope of the ordinary biographer. He does not disdain, too,, occasional mention of the popular rimes often dis- cussed in our columns. Thus the notice of William Baxter, solicitor, ends \vith a quotation of the lines : Messrs. Baxter, Rose & Norton Deny the Claimant's Arthur Orton, But can't deny what's more important That he 's done what Arthur oughterit. Only 125 copies of this remarkable work have been printed, so that possessors of it may regard themselves as fortunate. Our wonder is that work so excellently done has not secured a very large circulation at the hands of an enterprising pub- lisher, and an ample return to the compiler. Mr. Boase will at any rate secure the encomiums of those who are best fitted to judge the merit of his labours. He has made a name for himself in Eng- lish biography which will not be soon forgotten. For ourselves, we owe him a debt of warm thanks^