Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 11.djvu/143

 ii s. XL FEB. 13, 1915.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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of the old Judge and Jury Room in Leicester Square long after his death, was sold at 'Puttick's in February, 1899, but who pos- sesses it now I am unable to say.

WlLLOTJGHBY MAYCOCK.

The implication at the above reference, that * The Lord Chief Baron Nicholson : an Autobiography,' was published so early as 1843, must be erroneous. My copy, pub- lished by George Vickers, has no date on title-page ; but on p. 2 "Islington of 1860" is mentioned, and incidents are related at the end of the book as occurring in " the spring of I860,"' which last year is given as the date of Nicholson's ' Autobiography ' in the article upon him in the 'D.N.B.' by Mr. G. C. Boase. I do not think the ' Autobiography ' and ' Autobiography of a Fast Man ' can be identical ; the latter is not included in Mr. Boase's list of Nichol son's writings, and would appear to be a inutti earlier production. The 1860 ' Auto- biography ' (p. 241) gives the prospectus of The Tmvn (the first number to be published was that of 3 June, 1837), for which (p. 248) " in 1840 and 1841 Dr. Maginn wrote many admirable articles." An episode which will bear repetition is that concerning Nicholson's leading counsel at the Judge and Jury Society at the Cyder Cellars, "Mr. Richard Hart, whose professional name was Sergeant Valentine," who " left me for a short period to stand as candidate for the borough of Northampton, which place he contested with much spirit." I find from another source that at the Parliamentary election for North- ampton in April, 1859," one Richard Hart polled no fewer than twenty-seven votes.

An oil painting of the Judge and Jury, with Nicholson presiding in scarlet robes, together with a key to many of the cha- racters present, is in the Constitutional Club, Northumberland Avenue. Nicholson was celebrated by the Rev. R. H. Barham in his ' Ingoldsby Legends,' and died in 1861.

W. B. H.

MOURNING LETTER-PAPER AND BLACK- BORDERED TITLE - PAGES (4 S. iv. 390 11 S. x. 371, 412, 454, 496 ; xi. 34, 91). Among the tracts on the death of Prince Henry in 1612 described in Nichols's ' Pro- gresses of King James I.,' ii. 504-12, that described by MR. HENRY GTJPPY is num- bered 27. Three other funeral elegies men- tioned in Nichols's collection that by Thomas Hey wood (No. 14), that by Cyril Tourneur (No. 29), and that by John Web- ster (No. 30) were published together under

the following general title in white letters on a black ground : " Three Elegies on the Most lamented Death of Prince Henrie. . . . London; Printed for WilliamWelbie^QlS^ 4to, pp. 60. Thus united they are priced at 51. 5s. in the 'Bibliotheca Anglo -Poetica,' and are found in the British Museum.

One of these Elegy writers was John Taylor the " Water-poet." A portion only of his Elegy is reprinted in his collected works (1630). Above this (p. 336) is one of the several ornamental head -pieces common throughout the work. The following three pages contain ' The Muses Mourning ; or, Funerall Sonnets on the Death of John Moray, Esquire.' The head-piece here is quadrupled ; below the title is a single -line device, and above each of the Sonnets 2 to 14 is a border composed of a succession of blocks fitted together, a very becoming em- bellishment to verses of considerable merit.

On p. 340, on a black ground, is the device granted to John Ramsay in 1606, when he was created Viscount Haddington arid Lord Ramsay of Barns, described below: " Hsec dextra vindex Principis et Patriae. An arme and hand (well arm'd with Heav'nly might) That gripes a just-drawne Sword, thrust through a heart ; Adorned with a Royall Diadem." The cause of this great distinction was Ramsay's defence of the King in the Gowrie Conspiracy. In 1621 he was further honoured by being created an English peer as Baron of Kingston - upon-Thames and Earl of Holderness. He died, says Taylor, 24 Jan., 1625/6, and was buried "in Westminster Abbey, 28 Feb. Except for the device mentioned above, white upon a black ground, there are no signs of mourning about this Elegy.

C. DEEDES.

Chichester.

[The ' D.N.B.' gives the date of Ramsay's death as "in February, 1625/6."]

BONINGTON : PICTURE OF GRAND CANAL, VENICE (11 S. xi. 88). I presume your correspondent refers to the picture that was nearly destroyed by fire at Warnham Court, Horsham, some years ago. I afterwards saw its remains on the walls at Christie's, a wreck, almost reduced to tinder; neverthe- less, some one purchased it for 70Z. I think it had originally cost 2,0001 This was, I believe, Bonington's masterpiece ; but he did others of the Grand Canal one litho- graphed by Harding. The one burnt would require entirely repainting.

W. L. KING.

Paddock Wood, Kent.