Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 4.djvu/583

 10"- s. iv. DEC. IB, 1905.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 481 LONDON. SATURDAY. DECEHBER 16. 1905. CONTENTS.-No. 103. NOTES : Williiini Bsdaile. 481—Herrlck's • HesperMea,' 488 —Greene's Prose Works, 483—Trafalgar: Lust Survivor, 4»5—Popular Literature in the Sixteenth Century—House* of Historical Interest—" Puggle "—Curious Culture— Almaniic, . 1744, 486. QUEKIBS :—Semper Family—Dugdale'i Trustworthiness— Author Sought—Stewart of Rotterdam, 487—Dogs In War —Dog Training—Bllot Yorke— Roger Matthew. Vicar of Bloxbara—Authors of Quotations Wanted—Hatchment— AIMgna, 488 — Charlotte Coleman : Ryder: Christopher Blount-Orockford's—'Poetic Works by a Weird'—Eng- lish Army In Ireland, 1*30-40 — ' Military Discipline'— Mr. Cumberland—Norwich Court liolls, 489. KKPI.IBS:—Cromwell House, Higbgate, 489—Melton Cloth: Melton Jacket—' The Death of Nelson '—" Photography," 490—Dover Pier—Isaac Johnson, of Massachusetts, 491— Author) of Quotations Wanted-Willlam Shelley—King John poisoned by a Toa<1. 492 — "Beside" — " Paules fete" — Waterloo Veteran — Amateur Dramatic Clubs— George III.'s Daughters, 493 —'The Living Llbrarle'— Shakespeare's Portrait, 494—Lord Batburst and the High- wayman—W. Cole. Cambridge Antiquary—" Plckeridge " : •" Puckerldge " — Population of a Country Parish, 495— Escutcheon of Pretence — Capt. Jefferyes, of Blarney Castle—Cricket: Pictures and Engravings, 498—Atlai and Plrione: the Daisy—Lawrence — Kaln caught on Holy Thursday, 407. NOTES ON BOOKS:-' Memories of Madras '—Swinburne's Tragedies — Jackson's Botanic Glossary — ' Southwark Cathedral' — ' Photograms ' — ' The Young Duke'—' The Diner Out'—'Who Wrote That ?'—Christmas Books and Calendars. Obituary :—Mr. Frederick Adams—The Rev. Bunbury Fltz- Geralrt Campbell. Booksellers' Catalogues. Notices to Correspondents. WILLIAM ESDAILE. SKETCHES of the lives of forgotten worthies in art have been given by me iu 'N. & Q.,' and perhaps this notice respecting a patron of the arts and a prince amongst the col- lectors of old may prove of equal interest, especially when we consider that the old style of collector has all but ceased to exist. Collectors' marks on drawings and prints prove something ; but surely the mark of the subject of my sketch, "WE," may prove their merit equally with the well-known mark of Sir Joshua Reynolds. The fourth son of Sir James Esdaile, a Ixindon banker and Lord Mayor, William Esdaile was born in 1758, commencing quite young as a clerk in his father's business at 21, Lombard Street. Having no love for reading or writing beyond his work, he materially assisted to cause the bank to flourish. When there he made the acquaint- ance of two art critics, the Rev. Thomas Noble and Mr. John Thane, the latter a print- seller and engraver, " the last of the old Cigtailed geniuses," says his son, and the est judge of Greek coins in Europe — so good as to be employed by the British Museum authorities in their coin collections. It was under their discriminating tuition that Esdaile began to collect. His prospects increasing with the bank, he marriea in 1784 the only child of the treasurer of St. Thomas's Hospital, Edward Jeffries, of Terrill and Cothelestone, co. Somerset, by whom he had several children. He bought a residence on Clapham Common, where he housed his now increasing art treasures. There was nothing to indicate the tastes of the owner about the exterior of his house, for its frontage was of the plainest description; but it stood in parklike grounds with tastefully laid-out gardens. On entering you found yourself in a veritable picture gallery, from which you passed into the library, with its walls painted a subdued red, forming an admirable back- ground for the fine examples of Albert Diirer, Adrian Ostade, Wilson, and Gainsborough that hung there. In the drawing-room stood three dark rich blue Sevres vases, also two of a deep blue ground, embossed with gold leaves, of Chelsea. A curious figure of a harlequin, set in precious stones, the body of which was formed of an immense pearl, also stood in this room, all having been pur- chased by Esdaile at Queen Charlotte's sale. In his own room, in specially constructed drawers, were deposited a complete set of etchings by Rembrandt, and drawings by Michael Angelo, Raphael, Claude, Rubens, and Titian, all bought from the sale of the collection of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Here also he kept the drawings and prints by Hogarth, as well as drawings by Ostade, Gainsborough, Wilson, <fec., together with some exquisitely finished drawings of flowers on vellum by various eminent artists, chiefly from the sale of Lord Bute's collection in 1794. A lover of Gainsborough's style induced him to befriend George Frost, " the amateur," whose clever sketches, mostly in black-and-white chalk, in the manner of Gainsborough, he largely bought; so similar are these to Gainsborough in manner that I have known them to deceive the very elect. The total number of drawings possessed by Esdaile amounted to 621, and of prints to 553. On the staircase walls were hung the works of Rubens, Ruysdael, Salvator Rosa, <fec., while on the landing were placed rare Oriental china dishes on stands, together with more pictures. The several rooms lead- ing off contained framed drawings by Cipriani and Bartolozzi. In one of these rooms, in alcoves, stood Dresden figures of Gibbon and his niece. Esdaile's own bedroom contained cabinets of I lie finest examples of china and porcelain, eggshell plates, cups and covers of the dragon with five claws, AC.