Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 4.djvu/324

 266 NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* a. iv. SDT. so. ISOB. .and I shall be very grateful if any possessor would notify me of the existence of letters or other manuscripts and permit me to inspect them. W. B. GERISH. Bishop's Stortford. OSCAR WILDE BIBLIOGRAPHY. — I am •preparing a bibliography of Oscar Wilde's writings. Can you help me to trace the first publication of (I) 'The Harlot's House,' (2) ' Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' ? The date of the former is before 13 June, 1885, on which date a parody, called 'The Public-House,' was printed in The Sporting Times. The story of 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' appeared in some periodical before July, 1891, when it was issued in book form with other stories. It is possible one or both appeared in The Court and Society Revieiv or in Society, but I am unable to find either of these publications in the Bodleian, nor does the former seem to be in the British Museum Catalogue. In 9th S. xii. 85 are three verses of a poem by Wilde, beginning "The Thames Nocturne of Blue and Gold." Can you tell me whence MR. HEBB got this version 1 It differs very considerably from that given in The World for 2 March, 1881, and also from the version in the collected edition of the ' Poems ' in the same year. STUART MASON. c/o Shelley Book Shop, Oxford. GEORGE COLMAN'S ' MAN OF THE PEOPLE.'— " Finding that 1 could tag rhymes," writes George Colman the younger, in his amusing •" I sat down, immediately on my return from Laurencekirk (to Old Aberdeen], to write a poem ; but I had the same want as a great genius, not then, I believe, born, and since dead,—1 wanted a hero. The first at hand—I found him in the last news- ipaper, lying on my table, which hud arrived from London—waa the renown'd Orator and Statesman, Charles Fox, who was then term'd, in all Whig pub- lications, the ' Man of the People.' I accordingly gave the same title to my Poem; knowing little more of politicks, and the Man of the People, than the Man in the Moon! In one particular of my work, I follow'd the example of a Poet whose style was somewhat different from my own ; I allude to one Johu Milton. Milton has, in most people's opinion, taken Satan for the Hero of his Paradise (Lost; I, therefore, made my hero as diabolical as •need be,—blackening the Right Honourable Charles •James till 1 made him (only in his politicks re- member) as black as the Devil himself;—and, to inemi the matter, I praised to the skies Lord North, who had lost us America! This notable effusion I publish'd (but suppress'd my name) at Aberdeen,* dated Bamff,—a town thirty miles, and upwards, north-west of Aberdeen." in a small Edition, 'for the Author,'—the Book- seller there (I believe the only one in the Town) wisely declining to purchase the copyright;—of course, he only sold the work by commission, leaving me responsible for the expense of printing. A new Poem publish'd in this corner of the King- dom was an extraordinary event, and excited some curiosity there. It was thought to contain some smart lines, and was in everybody's hands; but, alas ! not at all to the author's profit:—the Aber- deenites were in general like Rory Macleod, great economists ;—the prodigal few who had bought my production lent it to their frugal neighbours; who lent it again to others, and the others to others, ad injinitum :—so that about one hundred copies were thumb'd through the town, while all the rest remain'd clean and uncut upon the shelf of the bibliopolist. He sent me his account, some time afterwards, enclosing the Printer's Bill, —by which it appear'd that I was several pounds debtor for the publication;—but, then, I became sole Proprietor of all the unsold copies, which were return'd to me;—all of which I put into the fire,— save one, which happen'd to turn up a few days ago, in looking over old papers. I found it to be down- right schoolboy trash, and consign'd it to the fate of its predecessors. I hope that there is now no trace of this puerile stuff extant." Has any copy survived of this Aberdeen publication ? It is not to be found in the "local" collections of the Aberdeen Uni- versity Library or Public Library, nor yet in the British Museum, Bodleian, or Advo- cates' Library. P. J. ANDERSON. THE PIGMIES AND THE CRANES.—How can I get a print, drawing, or photograph of this Pompeian fresco 1 H. T. BARKER. SPANISH' FOLK-LORE. — Last summer I travelled by night in the company of a muleteer between Avila and Segovia in Spain. To while away the time he told me the story of 'St. Peter and the Charcoal-Burner,' which roughly amounted to the following, of which I should like to know the source, and whether it may be found in print in any Spanish collection of folk-lore. Christ and S. Pedro were wandering one night on the mountains in winter, when the latter spied the hut of a charcoal-burner. They took refuge there from the storm. The charcoal-burner gave them what he had, which was not much. After a time a knock came at the door: it was St. John. And again a knock: it was St. Matthew : and so on all night till there were the twelve apostles in the hut with Christ. In the morning they went away. Only St. Peter remained to thank the char- coal-burner, offering him what he would as pay- ment. After many excuses the charcoal- burner, who guessed who they were, asked that he might always win at cards ! This St. Peter granted. When at last the man came to die he found he had done neither
 * Random Records,'
 * " Sonle short prefatory matter to the poem was