Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/49

 ii s. xii. JULY 17, MIS.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

41

LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1915.

CONTENT8. No. 290.

THE FUTURE OF ' N. & Q.'

NOTES '.-Seventeenth-Century Travel in Europe, 42- Betts 44-More Evidence from Willoby's A visa' Lord Bareacres-King William Street. B.C., 46 Lucan and Tom Hood-2nd Cameron Highlanders-Meux's Horseshoe Brewery, 47.

OU ERI ES : Dibdin Bibliography Shakespeare and Blackfriars Theatre -Clarke: Way: Marriage Licences, 47-New Street. Manchester Square-Sweedland or .Swede- land Court, Bishopsgate-The Birth of Edward VI- r M ' Erasmus Authors Wanted Old Map of the London-Holyhead Road-Crest on a Seal, 48-Mechamcs' Institutes - Cannel Coal - " Tobacco-Stoppers " and Sir Isaac Sewton " Fiance " Gilbert de Aquilre Tosh (Mackintosh) of Rutherglen-Goblin's Garb-St. Andrew -John Perrin-Easter Offerings- J. P. Kemble and Daly Mezzotint of Thomas Lowe and Mrs. Chambers, 49 1_ Biographical Information Wanted Lieut. John Deschamps, RA.-Sir Cloudesley Shovell : his Portrait by W. de Rycke-Strabolgi Peerage Case-Lacey as a Place-Name, 50.

REPLIES: The Site of the Globe, 50 -Sir Richard Bulkeley, Bart., 52-Lope de Vega's Ghost Story-Early Lords of Alenc.on, 53 -Mexican Family-Sigismundus, fjuecia; Hjeres-Birgit. Rooke, Ninth Abbess of Syon- Puems Wanted Sir John and Lady Oldmixon, 54 An Ingenious Epitaph Bayonne : Armes et Ecussons Anglais -The Judgment of Solomon, 55 Prince Charles Edward's Enelish Verger's Staff Welt je Clerks in Holy Orders S i Combatants -London M.P.'s, 1661 56 - "Felix opportunitate mortis " Woolmer Family, 57 Stoke Pogis Church Chesapeake and Shannon 1 Uncle Tom s Cabin 'Inscription to be Deciphered Twentieth-Century English Blackstone's ' Commentaries ' " Life is a romance," 58" All is not gold that glisters," 59.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' A City Church Chronicle ' ' Russia and Democracy 'Magazines and Reviews.

French Books.

Notices to Correspondents.

THE FUTURE OF 'NOTES AND QUERIES.'

THE volume just begun will close our Eleventh Series, ushering in the General Index which makes available, as a record of work done and information found, our correspondence of the last six years. As our readers know, these eleven Series cover a period of sixty-six years. The question before us is whether or not this eleventh General Index shall be the last ; and, if not the last, whether or not there shall be some diminu- tion in our little paper to correspond with the rather direful pressure of the times.

For the war has hit ' N. & Q.' Not in the way of correspondence : we have been surprised and gratified by the continuance of that in a volume and variety which will sustain no ill comparison with that in times of peace : nor yet in the way of yearly subscriptions paid direct to our office : these

remain very much what they were last year. But the sale through newsagents has suffered, as has also that of back numbers and parts in ordinary years no inconsider- able item and the advertisements have diminished. Each of the two half-yearly accounts made up since the outbreak of the war shows a loss of IOQL, slightly more or less.

The fall is, of course, more than easy to understand. The time, money, and thought of numbers of our readers have new and most urgent claims upon them ; and, no doubt, many to whom, ' N. & Q.' is still of use, now read it in a library instead of acquiring it for themselves. But it is equally plain that the paper cannot be continued indefinitely at a yearly loss of about 200Z. even if the deficit go no lower.

It is, we think, for our readers and cor- respondents, regular or occasional, to decide whether or no ' N. & Q.' is worth carrying through the war, in the hope of its regaining its normal footing when renewed peace has produced a sufficient effect. If it is not worth while, there is no more to say ; if it is, the question arises how the thing is to be done.

Obviously the best way all round would be by an increase in the number of direct yearly subscribers, and it seems to us that a more extended support on the part of public libraries and institutes should be one way of getting this increased subscription. Would it be possible for any of our present sub- scribers to enlist the interest of others to duplicate their subscription and give the additional copies to a library or institute or, if they have influence with any library, society, or university, to induce this body to subscribe, or to subscribe for more copies ? We do not mean that a simple donation towards expenses from a well- wisher would not be gratefully received, but we are sure of the sympathy of our correspondents in our preference for some secure increase of circulation.

Another way of " carrying on " would be to reduce the size of the paper. This would, no doubt, be better than bringing it to an end ; but it is already a little difficult for want of space to do justice to the material we receive, and if our space be yet more restricted, our usefulness would, "we believe, be even more than proportionately lessened.

We are confident that in laying our diffi- culty before our readers we can count, if not on their power to assist us in these trying times, yet on their assured goodwill.