Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 2.djvu/307

 io* s. ii. SEPT. 24, 1904.) NOTES AND QUERIES.

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a matter of doubt whether Newbery, to satisfy outstanding claims, did not engage him for some part of his time in work for his juvenile library," one can understand its being really accepted by some authorities as Goldsmith's work.

RUPERT SANDERSON. Bury.

It is not at all improbable that this famous nursery story, first published in 1765, was written by Oliver Goldsmith. See 2 nd S. xii. 41. HENRY GERALD HOPE.

119, Elms Road, Clapham, S.W.

PORT ARTHUR (10 th S. i. 407, 457 ; ii. 212). The replies given at the last two references Are full of interest, not only to the querist, but to others. May I venture to supply an account which has been reprinted from an American journal, the name of which was not put upon record ? It tells us that on 30 June, 1860, in honour of Lieut. William Arthur, of the British navy. This officer was in command of the gunboat Algerine, attached to a surveying expedition of the navy, which was being carried on before the landing of the English and French in August, 1860."
 * ' Port Arthur was so named, forty-four years ago,

The notice continues as follows :

" He was not by any means in command of the expedition, nor even in command of the flagship, which was the Acteon, then called the Noah's Ark by the officers of the British navy. She was almost helpless, and was towed from place to place by one of the smaller vessels. While the Algerine was towing, the entrance to Port Arthur was made, and the fact that Lieut. Arthur was towing the Acteon gave him the place of honour and the distinction of commanding the first ship that entered."

The work done by the vessels of this expedi- tion in surveying the harbours, coast, and the Chinese fortifications made possible the disembarkation of the whole force of the Allies in August, 1860, without the loss of a man. W. E. HARLAND-OXLEY.

Westminster.

There is a misprint in my reply at p. 212. The name of the paper is Truman's (not 41 Heman's ") Flying Post. HARRY HEMS.

AMERICAN YARN (10 th S. ii. 188). The " yarn " is not American, but comes from Bengal, and, I think, the early sixties. In those days there flourished two officers com- manding regiments, one a regiment of British infantry, the other a native infantry regi- ment. These two were so famous at drawing the long bow that it was resolved to pit them one against the other, and they were accordingly asked to the mess of a certain regiment on the same guest night. One

story followed another, till at last the climax was thought to be reached when the native infantry colonel said he was going home round the Cape when they descried a man floating on a hencoop. He said he was making his way home, and all he wanted was some matches, as his had got wet, oil which the N.I. man presented him with a box, and they left him. This was thought to bear the palm, till the other raconteur got up from nis side of the table and said, "I am that man, and this," producing a matchbox, " is the box you gave me on that occasion." The honours therefore were con- sidered to lie with the British infantry man. The story was done into verse many years afterwards, and appears, I think, in 'Lays of Ind,' by Aleph Cheem.

C. J. DURAND.

The lines quoted are not from an American source, but form the last verse (slightly varied) of ' Two Thumpers,' one of the * Lays of Ind ' by Aleph Cheem.

The * Lays ' were very popular with Anglo- Indians a few years ago. The volume was published by Thacker, Vining & Co., Bom- bay ; also by Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta. (Mrs.) E. JACOB.

Tavistock.

REGIMENTS ENGAGED AT BOOMPLATZ (10 th S. ii. 148). The ' Life of Sir Harry Smith,' published by Murray, vol. ii. p. 224, describes the battle of Boomplaats and the force en- gaged (45th, 91st, and R. Brigade, C.M. Rifles, and guns).

O. H. STRONG, Lieut.-CoL, late 10th Foot.

"GIVING THE HAND" IN DIPLOMACY (10 th S. ii. 126). No doubt the explanation given by POLITICIAN is right in effect, and that the giving the hand has come to mean much the same thing as giving place to or precedence to another ; and taking the hand has come to mean much the same thing as taking that precedence. But a further and very in- teresting question arises : How is it that the expressions have these meanings ? Is the explanation to be sought in a ritual which is no longer observed, which has been altered into the mutual hand-shake of modern times 1 The hand-shake in which, as a rule, the palm of the hand of each person is at right angles to the surface of the ground, is it not a symbol of the equality of the persons who go through the operation ? Neither gives precedence to the other ; they meet on equal terms j both give and both take. But was there in former times a different method of procedure, in which the superior in rank took the hand of the inferior in a different