Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/381

 n s. x. NOV. 7, 19H.] NOTES AND QUERIES,

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Parr, and Mr. Douglas of Glasgow, are probably the three men in Europe who have found Sir Walter Scott a trifler." On Parr's attitude in particular he writes thus

"It was natural, perhaps, that he should disliki "Sir Walter Scott, and look with jealousy upon hi public influence as pledged to the service of hei enemies iQueen Caroline's]. Both were in this ease party men, with the single difference in Si Walter's favour, that he was of the right party ; a tact that Dr. Parr could not be expected to appre ciate. But was any extremity of party violence to be received as an apology for the doctor's mean siess and extravagant folly in treating so great man (which uniformly he did) as a miserable pre tender in literature? Not satisfied with simpl) lowering and depreciating his merits, Dr. Par poke of him as an arrant charlatan and impostor.'

THOMAS BAYNE.

THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS (11 S. x. 230, 277 298). The following extract from The Times Weekly Edition of Friday, 7 Feb. 1896, is, I think, worthy of reproduction :

" A Belfast Stone Opened. On Tuesday when workmen were pulling down a corner of the old Belfast Linen-hall the foundation stone was discovered, with a copper plate dated 1783. Beneath the plate was a bottle containing, iimoiig other things, this document : ' Belfast, April 28, 1783. These papers were deposited underneath this, during building, by John M' Clean and Robert Bradshaw, with an intent that if they should hereafter be found they may be an authentic information to posterity. By the firmness and unanimity of the Irish Volunteers this kingdom long oppressed was fully and completely emancipated. If in future times there should be an attempt made to encroach upon the liberties of this country, let our posterity with admiration look up to the glorious example of their forefathers, who at this time formed an army independent of Government, unpaid and self-appointed, of 80,000 men, the discipline, order, and regularity of which army was looked upon by all Europe with wonder and astonish- ment. We took this method of enclosing these papers in a glass tube hermetically sealed as (in our opinion) the most durable that could be desired.' "

It is a pity that nothing is reported about the " other things " or the rest of " these papers." ROBERT PIERPOINT.

WENTWORTH OF PONTEFRACT (10 S. xi. 68). In perusing some old numbers of bution of 23 Jan., 1909, in which he refers to Sir Henry Wentworth's second wife, Elizabeth Nevil, without, however, alluding to her parentage. As recorded in Blome- field's ' History of Norfolk ' (under ' Ingle- thorpe ') and in other works, she was one of the daughters and coheiresses of Sir John -\Vvll, Marquis of Montaoute, by his wife Isabella, daughter and sole heiress of Sir Edmond de Bellasis, Lord of Ingoldsthorpe,
 * X. & Q.' I came across MR. FILEY'S contri-

near King's Lynn, and his wife Lady Joane de Boase. The latter gentleman was fre- quently referred to as Sir Edmond de Ingoldsthorpe. PEGASUS.

"CORDWAINER" (11 S. x. 247, 296, 334). In the early seventies I heard a County Court judge (the late Mr. Serjeant Miller) explain to an attentive Court that the word cordwainer took its origin from Cordova in Spain, and that its meaning was " shoe- maker." But I am not certain whether it was the use of the word in a document or a description of himself by a witness that elicited the obiter dictum. ' W. B. H.

An instance of the present-day use of this word can be found on the facia of a shoe- maker's shop in Carlton Road, Lowestoft.

E. COLLINS.

East Finchley, N.

PARSON WEEMS (11 S. x. 245). In MR. ELBRIDGE COLBY'S contribution ' A Biblio- graphy of Thomas Holcroft ' there appears, at the above reference, a short discussion of the life and work of the celebrated Parson Weems. MR. COLBY gives as his references for the facts of the life of the author of ' The Life of Washington ' the brief sketches in Henry Howe's ' Historical Collections of Virginia ' and Bishop Meade's ' Old Churches, Ministers, and Families of Virginia.' He apparently does not know of the publica- tion given below :

" Parson Weems : a biographical and critical study. By Lawrence C. Wroth. The Eichel- berger Book Co., Baltimore, Md. 1911."

There have appeared also in recent years several magazine and newspaper articles, by Walter B. Norris, Carrington Weems, and other writers, which treat the life of Parson Weems much more fully and, on the whole, more accurately than it was pos- sible for either of the writers from whom MR. COLBY derives his information to do with the scanty material in their possession. BERNARD C. STEINER.

Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore City.

"TROOPER" (11 S. x. 328). In the regular cavalry this term is only applied to their horses. The Household Cavalry- man, by long custom, is often so called, and, dating from the Boer War only, it would lave been from this custom that the term spread to privates of yeomanry and mounted mits. Officially, for all men in the ranks, he term is " private."

HAROLD MALET, Col. Racketts, Hythe, Southampton.