Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 3.djvu/110

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. m. FEB. n, 1911,

Sir William Pursey, Colonel, and Governor of j Mr. Teixeira de Mattos has not attempted

Coventry, had a gift of 1,5001. the task in his notes to the translation

Sir Edward Hungerford, 1,5001. per annum. Walter Long, Colonel, had a gift of 5,OOOJ.

was also

Michael Oldsworth, 3,OOOZ. per annum

Governor of Pembroke and Montgomery, and Keeper of Windsor Park.

Thomas Scot, rewarded with certain of the Archbishop's lands, and Lambeth Palace.

Benjamin Alhurst, Clerk of the Peace for Lan- cashire, had a gift of 1,0001.

Thus pensions amounted to 58,3307. per -annum, while gifts of money reached the sum of 308,500Z., besides places, gifts of land, &c. Each member also was allowed out of the public money 41. per week, which, -at 52 weeks, for 516 members, comes to 107,328?. J. C. RINGHAM.

R. B. SHERIDAN AND BISHOP HALL. "There is a resemblance between a familiar passage in ' The Rivals,' Act I. sc. ii., " Yes I always know when Lady Slattern has been before me. She has a most observing thumb ; and, I believe, cherishes her nails for the convenience of making margina notes," and the opening words in Book VT. o: Joseph Hall's ' Virgidemiae ' :

Ldbco reserues a long nayle for the nonce

To wound my margent tnrough ten leaues at once.

."Sheridan was doubtless capable of hitting on this thought by himself, besides being no great reader ; but it may be rememberec that a reprint a very careless one, it must be owned of Hull's satires was edited, by the Rev. William Thompson of Queen's College, Oxford, in 1753. EDWABD BENSLY.

CHATEAUBRIAND AND MADAME LIEVEN. The author of ' Le Genie du Christianisme ' has a long, spiteful passage about the con- versational powers of the lively Russian ambassadress at the Court of George IV. in his ' Memoirs ' (vol. iv. p. 74 of Mr. A. Teixeira de Mattos' s English translation, London, 1902), which I do not purpose to reproduce here.

Chateaubriand's second stay in England lasted only a few months (April to Septem- ber, 1822), and he is not very verbose about his doings on that occasion. Consequently any side-lights must be welcome to his future biographer. According to a recent writer,

"la, biographic de Chateaubriand je veux dire -sa biographic reelle, et non point celle a demi- poetique qu'il a magnifiquement orchestree dans les ' M^moires d'Outre-Tombe ' est encore a 4crire." Anatole le Braz, ' Au Pays d'Exil de Chateaubriand ' (Paris, 1909).

Among the visitors to London in 1822 was the Hungarian Count Stephen Szechenyi, a young hussar officer who has jotted down a few rough notes in the course of his wander- ings. As regards our French ambassador extraordinary we find the following short entry on 18 June :

" At York and Boroughbridge [probably visits to some races or racing stables]. Chateaubriand is left here altogether unnoticed."

The Hungarian Count soon, returned to London, and on 9 August there is the follow- ing entry in his diary, written in his own tongue :

At Madame Lieven's with Chateaubriand, who has behaved in such an awkward and tactless way on English soil that he has placed himself in an altogether false position, and cannot in any way find his place. A good story about [him and] Countess L. He : ' What a horrid country this England is ! The women are devoid of all charms, without any vivacity.' Countess L. : ' Monsieur 1'ambassadeur, you condemn them without knowing them, because there are intellectual women,' &c. He : ' Ah, madame, I dislike intellectual women.' Countess L. : '^Well, in that case I must also leave you, Monsieur 1'ambassadeur,' &c. During the meal the topics were Walter Scott, Lord Byron, &c. Madame L., without having either the insight or knowledge of Chateaubriand, led the conversation with such assurance and superiority as can only be acquired by constantly moving about in the great world. .... There was also some talk about the outing the other day to see the experiments with Congreve rockets [at Woolwich on 5 August], about the clothes worn by Wellington, and about his aide- de-camp, who on that occasion walked about with a lady hand in hand, &c. Madame L. was charmed with this. Chateaubriand : ' Ah well ! One can do these things if one has a Spanish campaign or a battle of Waterloo at one's back. When one knows how well these simple-minded 'ellows can fight. . . .But let the Pope's marechal Dehave like that, and everybody will burst out aughing.' "

I have faithfully reproduced the style &c., of the original. One can understand now why Chateaubriand penned the follow- ng remark in his memoirs :

All reputations are quickly made on the banks of the Thames, and as quickly lost."

L. L. K.

MICHAEL BBUCE, LOGAN, AND ' THE ODE TO THE CUCKOO.' At 9 S. viii. 70, 148, 312, 388, 527 ; ix. 95, 209, 309, 414, 469, 512, -here was a lengthy discussion on the well- oiown poem to the cuckoo attributed to Logan. As a supplement to this it may be f interest to record the fortunes of the Doem in Wales.