Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 4.djvu/319

 ii s. iv. OCT. 14, i9ii.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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. CEYLON OFFICIALS (11 S. iv. 268). It may help MB. PENRY LEWIS to obtain the infor- mation he seeks if I mention the fact that the Dutch possessions in Ceylon were cap- tured and occupied by a division of the East India Company's Madras army ; and that the civil affairs were administered by Madras civilians until it was settled by the British Government whether the new possessions were to be considered the property of the Company or the Crown. When the decision was arrived at, the Madras officials and soldiers were recalled to the coast ; but some of the King's regiments remained.

John Angus and J. H. Harington were Madras officials. Their records may be found at the India Office. Capt. Anderson of the 19th Regiment was a King's officer. If there is any record of him in existence, it will be found in his old regiment, or at the War Office, or with his family.

FRANK PENNY.

CHARLES CORBETT, BOOKSELLER (11 S. iv. 148, 197). I am much obliged to your correspondents for answering my queries respecting Sir Charles Corbett. Could MR. HIP WELL tell me whence he derived the in- formation that Charles Corbett was the third son of Charles Corbett, bookseller, and that he was a clerk in Johnson's L ottery Office ? HENRY R. PLOMER.

" A.LL MY EYE AND BETTY MARTIN "

(11 S. iv. 207, 254, 294). At first sight it would seem as if " Joe Miller," as cited by MR. J. E. PATTERSON, ante, p. 254, had hit upon the source of this vulgarism. Unfortunately, however, John Mottley, or the author of the jestbook from which he drew this story of the seaman, would never have related it in this form, if he had remembered (or should I say known ?) that phonetically it would be impossible for any one in a church on the Continent to hear "All my eye and Betty Martin," or anything resemb- ling it, when "Ah! mihi, beate Martine," is read, or said, or sung, or chanted. So the story is a mere invention of Mottley 's, or perverted by him in the borrowing, or some- body else's invention, and as an explanation of the origin of the phrase it does not hold water. In fact, I begin to suspect that the origin as stated by Miss Baker and others is one more instance of " popular etymology," for which in this particular case " Joe Miller " is responsible. I hope that more trustworthy evidence may be forthcoming.

J. F. BENSE. Arnhem, the Netherlands.

'A CAXTON ^MEMORIAL ' (US. iv. 268). I am enabled to clear up MR. ROBERTS' & doubts on the matter of the authorship of this pamphlet by the following letter, which is attached to William Blades' s copy, now in the possession of the St. Bride Foundation Typographical Library :

17, Lenthall Road, Dalston, E.

Sept. 7, 1880. DEAR SIR,

The enclosed "trifle" will possibly afford you some interest. One or two items only may be new to you, but the Pamphlet may be worthy of a corner among your other Caxton papers.

I am glad I have had a look through these interest- ing volumes. It is nearly 12 years ago I sent to press my account of the Fleet St. Printing ; and I am now getting up fresh materials for another edition.

If you want any doubt set right, I shall be pleased to look at the Caxton books for you at any time. Yours faithfully.

T. C. Noble.

W. Blades, Esq re, 11, Abchurch Lane. There is a note on the fly-leaf of the letter as follows :

Christening Register, St. Margaret's, West* minster, 1647, April 27. Ingham Blades S to Ralph by Martha.

Finally, there is a manuscript note on the title :

With the Comp ts of the Author T. C. Noble. I do not understand the reference made in the letter to another work of the author on " the Fleet St. Printing." I cannot trace any such work in this library. It may, however, be that Noble was referring to the chapter on the Fleet Street printing press in his 'Memorials of Temple Bar.'

R. A. PEDDLE. St. Bride Foundation, Bride Lane, E.G.

This reprint from The Builder of August, 1880, is, as MR. ROBERTS conjectures, the work of Mr. Theophilus Charles Noble. A copy, inscribed " With the Compliments of the author T. C. Noble," is in the Thomas Greenwood Library, Manchester.

WILLIAM E. A. AXON.

GEORGE I. STATUE IN LEICESTER SQUARE (11 S. iv. 261). In The Graphic of 4 July, 1874, appeared an engraving showing Leicester Square in 1753, and another of the Square in 1874 as improved by Baron Grant. The statue of George I. is shown in position in the former picture, but in the letterpress the subject is referred to as George II.

In The Illustrated London News of 1 1 Janu- ary, 1868, was a full-page engraving en- titled ' A Sketch in Leicester Square.' This gives an excellent idea of the then mutilated statue and the disgraceful state of the Square