Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 1.djvu/385

 n s. i. MAY 7, i9io.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

described by Mr. Austin Dobson as last Ashburton, 2 ' which originally belonged to Ralph Willett of Merly House, co. Dorset. It is the picture from which the lithograph was taken (100 copies only printed : a copy is in the Grace Collection, British Museum, and another hangs in Kensington Palace), of which I possess two impressions. By the courtesy of a friend I have recently received a photograph of a similar, but not identical oil painting of the pond from the same point of view, attributed to Canaletto, which has been hung in the same house for more than 100 years. Messrs. Christie informed me some time back that Hogarth's painting which belonged to the late Lady Ash- burton was not included in their sale of her pictures. H. SELFE BENNETT.
 * ' in the possession of the late Louisa, Lady

BOSWELL AND JOHNSON'S* TOURS IN THE

HEBRIDES (11 S. i. 307).!. I have a copy of the first edition of Boswell's ' Tour to the Hebrides.' On the title-page is :

London :

Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, In the Poultry. MDCCLXXXV.

But of course this does not prove that the book was actually issued in that year.

2. Johnson writes in his familiar letters to Boswell, 12 June, 1774, and 26 Nov., 1774, of his book as the ' Journey to the Hebrides.' But Boswell in the ' Life ' writes (1776) :

" On the 16th of November I informed him that Mr. Strahan had sent me twelve copies of the 1 Journey to the Western Islands '. . . . "

From this it would appear that the word used by Johnson was "Islands," not "Isles." T. M. W.

The first edition of Boswell's ' Tour to the Hebrides * was published in 1785. Mr. Anderson (' British Topography,' p. 367) dates the first three editions thus : the first in 1785, the second in 1785, the third in 1786. Mr. R. Farquharson Sharp (' Dic- tionary of English Authors,' p. 29) corro- borates Mr. Anderson with regard to the first two editions. So also does Lowndes. Watt mentions the second edition as of date 1785. There seems to be no biblio- graphical authority for the statement in the ' D.N.B.'

Johnson's ' Journey ' appeared anony- mously in 1775. The weight of evidence is in favour of " Islands " rather than " Isles " on the title-page. Halkett and Laing, transcribing from the first edition, give the title thus : ' A Journey to the Western

Islands of Scotland.' This reading is con- firmed by Anderson, Lowndes, and Watt. Mr. R. Farquharson Sharp alone supports the ' D.N.B.' title, and reads " Isles." This, however, may be merely a printer's error.

W. SCOTT.

The first and second editions of Boswell's ' The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D.,' are dated 1785, and the third edition 1786. The second edition contains the original dedica- tion to Edmond Malone, dated 20th Septem- ber, 1785, and an " Advertisement " to the second edition, signed " London, 20th Dec., 1785. J. B." In the Advertisement Bos- well says that the whole of the first impres- sion sold in a few weeks, which sufficiently establishes the fact that the first edition at least was published in 1785.

The title-page of the first edition of Johnson's own account of this trip reads :

" A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. London : Printed for W. Strahan ; and T. Cad ell, in the Strand. MDCCLXXV."

There is a running title used throughout the book, " A Journey to the Western Islands, &e. n E. P. MERRITT.

Boston, U.S.A.

[MR. A. R. BAYLEY also thanked for reply.]

SCHEFFELDE IN COM. CANTI^E (11 S. i. 208,

338). The conjecture of W. F. may be correct, but the actual reference (I think it is on p. 382, but have not the volume by me) is to Kent. R. B.

Upton.

FLY PAINTED ON A SHIELD : JAPANESE

VARIANT (11 S. i. 266). The tale ' Of hym that had a flye peynted in his shilde ? ( ' Mery Tales and Quicke Answeres,' ciiii.) is from Plutarch, * Moralia,' 234c, among the ' Apophthegmata Laconica.'

EDWARD BENSLY.

PORTLAND CEMENT : ITS INVENTOR (11 S. i. 328). I have never been able to trace the history of the invention of Portland cement. One thing, however, is certain, namely, that for many years the material was manufactured on the Thames and the Medway under the patents of Messrs. I. C. Johnson & Co. of Greenhithe. A visit to the Patent Office would enable, perhaps, your correspondent to find out who I. C. (not J. C.) Johnson was. L. L. K.

As far as technical evidence goes, Mr. Joseph Aspdin, a bricklayer of Leeds, seems to have been the first inventor of Portland