Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 4.djvu/147

 ii s. iv. A. 19, UNI.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

141

LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1911.

CONTENTS. No. 86.

NOTES : William Makepeace Thackeray, 141 Wyre Forest Old Sorb or Whitty Pear Tree, 145 -Sir William Wallace's Welsh Descent Shakespeares in the Eigh- teenth Century ' Pickwick ': Eatanswill Newspapers, 146 The Lightning's Victim Viper and Cow Folk-lore, 147.

OUERIES : St. Clement the Pope and Wyremongers - George III. and the Dragon : M. C. Wyatt-Lecky and Morals in 'Pall Mall Budget,' 147 James I. on Doctors Johnson and Tobacco Charles Corbett, Bookseller "Paris Illustre" 'Wellington's Peninsular Campaign- Washington Irving's ' Sketch-Book ' Deeds and Ab- stracts of Title, 148 Matthew Arnold's French Quotation 'Thespian Telegraph ' H. B. Abbott-O. Affleck- J. Heathfield French Coin W. Stephens Hayward Grand Gharri Tephlia, 149 'Young Son of Chivalry' G. Edwards : Drawings of Birds De Jersey Family Buckeridge Book-plate Ludlow Castle -"Kidkok" J. Glen of Demerara, 150-Sir G. Sitwell, 151.

REPLIES: Cowper on Langford, 151 Gaily Knight: " Ipecacuanha " Emerson, Heine, and Franklin in England Burning of Moscow Long Barrows and Rectangular Earthworks, 152 "Tumble-Down Dick" Dr. Johnson in Scotland Dickens and Thackeray : Mantalini, 153" Tout comprendre " Grinling Gibbons S. Horsley J. Hook T. Hooker W. Hughes Vatican Frescoes ' Church Historians of England ' " Bonny Earl o' Moray," 154 Yews in Churchyards " Fives Court": Tennis Court "J'y suis, j'y reste," 155 Washington Irvinjs's ' Sketch- Book 'Twins and Second Sight Siege of Derry Deer-leaps St. Hugh and "The Holy Nut " Campbell's ' Napoleon and the English Sailor,' 156 " Wait and see "Military Executions 41 Blue fish." 157 "Make a long arm" The Three Heavens Bullyvant Bibles with Curious Readings- Gee Surname ' La Carmagnole ' ' Pickwick ' : Miss Bolo- " But "=" Without "-" Nib "-St. Sabinus, 158.

NOTES ON BOOKS : 'The Oxford English Dictionary.'

Booksellers' Catalogues.

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY, JULY 18TH, 1811-DECEMBER 24TH, 1863.

(Conclusion.} (See ante, pp. 21, 61, -101.)

As we celebrate the Thackeray Centenary we are filled with surprise that it was so long before Thackeray was recognized by the general reader. His connexion with Fraser brought to him but very limited fame, although that great favourite of the critics, pages during 1844 and he had previously dedicated the ' Irish Sketch-Book ' to his friend " Dr. Charles Lever." He had 41 found Punch," and was " pouring into its pages ballads, songs, burlesques, lectures on English history, stories, short pungent notes on the events of the day ; notes of travel ; papers humorous, witty, wise, pathetic ; parodies absolutely incomparable of the works of other novelists."
 * Barry Lyndon,' appeared as a serial in its

Notwithstanding all this, we find Thacke- ray writing to his cousin Bedingfield: "I can't hit the public ! " In ' The Great Hoggarty Diamond ' Thackeray invented the name of Michael Angelo Titmarsh. Samuel Titmarsh was the writer, whereas Michael Angelo was an intending illustrator. Anthony Trollope suggests that " There was probably some association, intended to be jocose, with the name of the great artist whose nose was broken by his fellow- student Torrigiano, and who, as it hap- pened, died exactly three centuries before Thackeray." The tale had gone begging. Sir F. T. Marzials relates how it had been refused by Blackwood, and when it was finally accepted by Fraser, the editor wished it to be curtailed.

So obscure was Thackeray at this time that in the same year 1845 Macvey Napier, on the 12th of April, was writing to Hayward to ask if he knows anything of " a Mr. Thackeray, about whom Longman has written me, thinking he would be a good hand for light articles. He says (Longman) that this Mr. Thackeray is one of the best writers in Punch. One requires to be very much on one's guard in engaging with mere strangers. In a jour- nal like the ' Edinbro ' it is always of importance to keep up in respect of names."

Thackeray became a contributor, but had to lament the use of Hay ward's " amputating knife." " O to think of my pet passages gone for ever ! " The letter of Napier's is the more astonishing as two years after this (in January, 1847) Messrs. Bradbury & Evans published the first number of ' Vanity Fair.' It was slow in making its way, but on the 21st of December of the same year the second edition of ' Jane Eyre ' appeared. Charlotte Bronte, as is well known, dedi- cated this to Thackeray, and in a preface which she added she refers to the author of ' Vanity Fair ' as having " an intellect profounder and more unique than his contemporaries have yet recognized," and as being " the first social regenerator of the day." As regards those who had said that he was " like Fielding," she wrote bitterly : " He resembles Fielding as an eagle does a vulture : Fielding could stoop in carrion, Thackeray never does." Sir F. T. Marzials says that in this Charlotte Bronte "did yeoman's service " ; and when in addition The Edinburgh in January, 1848, gave a sketch of Thackeray and praised the work as far as it had then been published, the success of ' Vanity Fair ' was secured.

But although from this time Thackeray was at last recognized as a prophet in Israel, he always took a depressed view of