Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 1.djvu/99

 ii s. i. JAN. 29, mo.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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there is another (unless indeed he was the same) C. B. C., as is shown in the list of works below.

If we reckon from Coles' s age, which is given in The Times, 1 Dec., 1874, in the announcement of his death, as ninety-one, he was born in 1783. It would be interest- ing to know where Coles was born and the exact date of his birth.

From the heading of one of his poems on p. 46 of ' The Discarded Son ' Mr. W. P. Courtney (' English Whist,' p. 371) infers that Coles was educated at Winchester. His name is not in Kirby's list of " scholars *': it is on the College Register, but the autho- rities have no information about him. His books testify to his having received a good education, and his poem shows he was inclined to versify from boyhood.

He was in the 7th Dragoon Guards, and was gazetted cornet 5 Jan., 1805, and lieutenant, without purchase, 5 June, 1806 (London Gazette}. His name is in the 1 Army List ' for 1810 for the last time. I am unable to find anymention of his leaving ; if it is in The London Gazette, the fact is not indexed.

As there are some inaccuracies in previous notes, I will name his publications that are at present known, with further information.

1. The Discarded Son, a tale, and other rhymes. By Charles Barwell Coles, Esq. London, Thomas Boys, 1823. 12mo, pp. 12 and 50.

This is dedicated to his mother. It forms one volume only, and is autonymous.

2. Hints of a Plan to remedy the Evils of the

Poor Laws in answer to Thomas Walker, by

C. B. C. London, Effingham Wilson, 1834. 12mo, 1>1). 12.

This C. B. C. wrote a letter to The Times, published 11 July, 1833; p. 6, entitled Close." Perhaps some confirmation of this being by Coles might be found among the books he left.
 * Poor Rates,' which he signed " Charles

3. The next known is the ' Short Whist,' 1835, published as by Major A*****, which might be a mask for the author's real name. As I have said, it was a plagiarism, and further a supercherie as to the name ; nevertheless it brought him in a small annuity. None of his really original pub- lications ever reached a second edition. The sixteenth, and last, edition of ' Short Whist,' in 1865, was provided with an essay by Prof. Pole. I have commented some- what severely on this in the ' Handbook. 1

The tendency of Coles's publications is educational and excellent, and after reading

them I certainly had very great doubts that he could have been a party to issuing a book under the name of a dead man. The five asterisks after the A. clearly show that a name of six letters was intended, and not Anson.

As to Major Aubrey, I have the following among my notes from Thomas Raikes's ' Journal,' 1858, vol. i. p. 49. On 26 Aug., 1832,

"died Col. Aubrey, aged seventy-six: the deepest gambler and the best whist and piquet player of his day. He had passed through various vicissitudes of wealth and poverty comme de raison. He made two fortunes in India, which he successively lost ; he then made a third at play from five pounds which he borrowed, and at last died in very meagre circumstances."

4. Hints on Life and how to Rise in Society. By C. B.C. Amicus. London, Longmans, 1845. 12mo, pp. 4 and 42.

This has a highly finished frontispiece etched by John Leech.

As shown above, this book is pseudo- nymous, and not anonymous. This makes a great difference, for a person looking for it as anonymous under ' Hints l would be unable to find it, and, if told simply that it was pseudonymous, would not attempt to look for it. It is under Amicus in the B.M. Catalogue, and the author's name is not known there. Coles was then sixty, so should have been fully qualified to give the excellent advice he does in this little book.

5. The next book will be the short history of Russia mentioned by MB. NICHOLSON, who will do a literary service by forwarding to ' N. & Q.' an exact copy of the title of this book, and, if there is no author's name, stating if there is any to the preface or elsewhere. It is impossible to identify the book among the numbers of such that were issued during the Crimean War.

6. Tea, a poem. London, Longmans, 1865. 12mo, pp. 4 and 45. Price one shilling.

This is autonymous.

There is no mention in any of these works that Coles published any other book.

Coles died at a pension or boarding-house, No. 2, Cite Odiot, Paris, on 28 Nov., 1874.

I will now give some extracts from his last testament, as there is so much of his biography to be learnt from it.

His will, dated 3 Aug., 1864, which is very short, with a codicil, snorter still, dated 11 July, 1868, and a second dated 5 Oct., 1873, was proved 4 Jan., 1875, as under 1,500Z. He is described as formerly of Alpha Place, St. John's Wood. He leaves legacies, among others, to his nephew