Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/356

 350

NOTES AND QUERIES. in s. x. OCT. si, 191*.

now living remembers his sisters, the Misses Andre, the last of whom died at 22, The Circus, Bath, in 1845.

Miss Anne Andr6 is described as having " a poetical talent." Are there any poems known to have been written by her ?

Major Andre's brother, Sir William Lewis Andre, Bart., died in 1802 at Dean's Leaze, Hampshire. I am unable to find Dean's Leaze on the map of the county. Where is it situated ? Also, what was the maiden name of Sir William's wife ? The title is extinct. G. R. LAGLEN.

[Much information on Major Andr6 and his family will be found at 8 S. xi. 8, 56, 192, 238, 297 ; 9 S. ii. 47, 119, 528 ; iii. 58, 95 ; vi. 46, 112 ; 10 S. vii. 13.]

LAMB'S ' MR. H .' Is it the case that Lamb's play had a successful run in Ame- rica ? If so, particulars would be interesting. W. E. WILSON.

Hawick.

W. BELCH, PRINTER, BOROUGH, S.E. Where did he live ? I have a pictorial alphabet with most curious pictures printed by him. The letter J, for instance, is illus- trated by the picture of a gentleman with two hats on, presumably meant for a Jew. HENRY BRIERLEY.

Wigan.

PAPERS OF JOHN WILKES. (1 S. i. 125.)

ON 22 Dec., 1849, W. asked the following question in ' N. & Q.' :

" John Wilkes, it is well known, sent to the newspapers copies of Lord Weymouth's and Lord Barrington's Letters respecting the riots in St. George's Fields in 1768. We can easily con- jecture how he did, or how he might have, got possession of a copy of Weymouth's Letter, which was addressed to the magistrates of Surrey ; but Barrington's Letter was strictly official, and directed to the ' Field officers, in staff waiting, for the three regiments of Foot Guards.' Has the circumstance ever been explained ? If so, where ? "

The explanation will be found in ' The Political Life of William, Viscount Barring- ton,' by Shute, Bishop of Durham (1814), p. 118, where the letter in question is printed m full, with the following comment :

" This letter was read the following day to the men [i.e., the regiments of Foot Guards], and had a very good effect. . . .A copy of the letter got into the Orderly Book and thence into the newspapers.' '

HORACE BLEACKLEY.

RICHARD OF CIRENCESTER (11 S. x. 289). Almost the same question was asked when 'X. & Q.' was only five weeks old. No definite answer was given, but the conv- spondence may interest QUERIST. See 1 S. i. 93, 123, 206 ; v. 491 ; vi. 37.

W. E. WILSON.

Hawick.

JEMIMA NICHOLAS (11 S. x. 290). In the centre of Frshguard stands a plain stone with the following inscription :

In

Memory of JEMIMA NICHOLAS

of this Town

" THE WELSH HEROINE " who boldly marched to meet

the French Invaders who landed on our shores in

February 1797. She died in Main Street July 1832.

Aged 82 Years. At the date of the Invasion she

was 47 years old, and lived 35 years alter the event.

I should have been glad if the author of this inept inscription had omitted the results of his childish arithmetic and told us exactly what the " Welsh Heroine " did.

There are two forms of the legend. The first is thus given in a pamphlet of 24 pp. entitled

" Welsh Patriotism ; | or the landing | of the | French, | at | Fishguard, on the 22nd of February, 1797. | Compiled from authentic sources, | by John Harries (Cymro Sir Bemfro ) | . . . . .Haverfordwest : | . . . .1875 " :

" It is reported that, during the Crimean War, an Irish soldier took three of the enemy, and brought them in as prisoners to the British camp ; and when asked by his commanding officer how he managed to accomplish such a daring feat, very naively replied, ' Faith, yer honor, I sur- rounded thim.' Well was it said by the Philo- sopher King, ' There is nothing new under the sun,' for a similar heroic action, only on a grander scale, had long before been performed, and that too by a woman. While the nerves of all in the neighbourhood were strung to the utmost tension by excitement, Jemima Nicholas (a native of Fishguard, noted for her great strength and commanding appearance) grasped a pitchfork, and, making for the enemy's camp, came across a party of French soldiers in a field some accounts say ten, others twelve but whichever number it was, this daring Amazon took the whole of them prisoners, and never lost sight of them till they were placed under lock and key in Fishguard."

The second form of the legend is thus given in ' Notable Welshmen,' by the Rev. T. Mardy Rees :

" Lord Cawdor, the hero of 1797, with his troopers, had just started to meet the French invaders when the Welsh women, out of curiosity, ran up a hill commanding a splendid view of the French camp, and there stood a solid body,