Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/570

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. xn. DEC. n, 1909.

references which I find in the parish records include mention of the burial of " Mr. ffletwood's man n and of " Mr. ffletwood's brother " in 1595-6 and 1603-5 (sic) respec- tively; " Mr. Fletwod " being charged the comparatively large sum of 16s. for " y e messuage ho [use] n in an assessment of 1598. Of course the Recorder himself died close by in 1594, but not in the parish, his house (converted into two houses in the 4 D.N.B.? ) being situated in St. Olave, Silver Street, apparently.

WILLIAM McMuRRAY.

STEERAGE ON A FRIGATE. In accounts of life on board the old wooden frigates, the midshipmen's berth is mentioned as being in the steerage. Where was the steerage situated in a frigate? C. N.

JOHN POTTER AND Miss ROACH. John Potter of Albemarle Street, Under-Secretary of State for Ireland, who died 29 May, 1749, is said to have been the guardian of Miss Roach or Le Roche, who became Lady Echlin ('Hist, of Doddington, 1 by Rev. R. E. G. Cole, p. 137). He was connected with John, 4th Duke of Bedford. I shall be obliged if any one can inform me why Miss Roach was his ward. His will throws no light on the subject.

HORACE BLEACKLEY.

CANNING ON " TOBY PHILPOT.' 1 (10 S. xii. 387.)

SIR HENRY LYTTON BULWER in his vol. ii. p. 422, refers to this matter as follows :
 * Historical Characters,'- title ' Canning?

4.u",. In ^f a 616 ]* 11 *** 1 contesfc with Lord Lyndhurst, that noble lord having appeared in it with a speech borrowed for the most part from a popular pamphlet written by the present Bishop of Exeter (then Doctor Phillpotts) he was overthrown, amidst shouts ot laughter, by the appropriate recollection 01 the old song :

Dear Tom, this brown jug that now foams with

mild ale, Out of which I now drink to sweet Nan of the

vale, was once Toby Philpot's."

, . T ^ re if a n account of Canning's speech in Sir Theodore Martin's ' Life of Lord Lynd- hurst.^ See pp. 214 to 217, but the lines from the old song differ from Bulwer's he second lin e ends with the as to rime with "ale"

It is quite true, as stated by MB. MURRAY, that these lines do not appear in Canning's speech of 6 March, 1827, made in reply to that of Sir John Copley, Master of the Rolls. See Thierry*s edition of Canning's ' Speeches,' vol. vi. p. 162. There is a note, however, referring to the pamphlet of Dr. Phillpotts from which Copley had derived some of his materials for his attack on Canning. See also Hansard for 1827, vol. xvi. p. 1002. Thierry adds : " This brush between the Master of the Rolls and Mr. Canning did not cause the slightest diminution of the personal regard previously existing between them." The truth of this is confirmed by Stapleton in his ' Life of Canning '- (vol. iii. p. 336), and on 13 April following Canning, when forming his ministry, wrote to the Master of the Rolls requesting him to call upon him (Canning), and concluded his letter, " Believe me, my dear Sir (Phillpotto rion obstante), very sincerely yours.' 1 This letter is set out at length in Martin's ' Life of Lyndhurst,' p. 217, only instead of " Phill- potto "he has it " Philipotto non obstante.'- Copley replied to this, and concluded, "Be* lieve me now as always (minus twenty -four hours) yours very sincerely. n

In Campbell's ' Life of Lyndhurst l it is stated that these lines of the old song were " whispered through the House " (vol. viii. of the ' Lives,' p. 48). Sir Theodore Martin says that " no one was so likely as Canning himself to have made the happy quotation.' 1

Mr. Temperley in his ' Life of Canning, 4 p. 251, says : " Copley (Lyndhurst) made a speech which he borrowed largely from a pamphlet of Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter. Canning replied by quoting from the popular song." Then he quotes the lines, only he writes " Toby Phillpott's," as in Martin. Then Mr. Temperley goes on to say : " No one could do anything but laugh at this good-natured banter. '*

The fact remains that in no report that I can find of Canning's speech is there any reference to these lines, and the report of the debate in The Times of 7 March, 1827, which is a long one, contains no reference in any part of it to the lines from the old song being quoted by Canning to confound the Master of the Rolls. The fair inference to draw is that Canning did refer to these lines in some way in the House of Commons, and that the Master of the Rolls was much annoyed for " twenty-four hours.' 4 There is nothing in Greville or Creevey to throw light on this matter.

I cannot find out where Bulwer got his information as to the " shouts of laughter,"