Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 4.djvu/53

 ii s. iv. JULY 15, ion.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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San Juan Bautista. " This vessel, a hired transport or nao, the property of Fernando Ome, 200 tons, crew of 60, with 24 guns, carried no treasure." T. F. D.

WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that answers may be sent to them direct.

SHERIDAN'S ' CRITIC ' : T. VATJGHAN. In connexion with the Gala Performance at His Majesty's Theatre on 27 June, at which a mutilated version of ' The Critic ' was represented, an excellent article on that play appeared in The Morning Post of that date, which, for purposes of future reference as well as on its own merits, deserves to be recorded in these columns. The article reproduced a notice of the play which was published in The Morning Post for 1 Novem- ber, 1779, two days after the play was pro- duced, and which was evidently written by some one who was behind the scenes, and could identify the characters who were bur- lesqued in the piece. Richard Cumberland is generally supposed to stand for Sir Fretful Plagiary, but, as the article says :

" What of the other characters ? Who was the original of Dangle ? The writer of the notice appears to know. Some have said he was a 4 Mr. Vaughan ' who had busied himself in the Eichmond Theatre, and had written letters in The Morning Post."

I should like to learn something further of this " Mr. Vaughan." In a copy of the first edition of ' The Critic ' in my possession a former owner has pasted on one of the fly-leaves the following cutting from The Morning Chronicle of 28 December, 1811 :

" Thomas Vaughan, Esq. This Gentleman, whose death we recently announced, Was formerly weU known in the circles of literature and fashion. He used to declare that he was the person men- tioned by Churchill in the following lines of his ' Bosciad ' :

While Vaughan, or Dapper, call him what you will,

Shall blow the trumpet, or give out the bill.

" It is more probable that the Vaughan here alluded to was the brother of Mrs. Pritchard, the celebrated Actress, and who was on the stage at the same time. Mr. Vaughan, however, in consequence of this assumption, generally went by the name of Dapper Vaughan. He was also called Vinegar Vaughan, among his friends, not from any real sourness in his temper, but from a kind of sarcastic humour. He is also supposed to be the persoia represented by Mr. Dangle in Sheridan s ' Critic.' He was the Author of a

collection of Poems, two or three Plays, Faroes, Prologues, Epilogues, and Novels. For many years past, he had been in the constant, and almost daily habit of sending his poetical con- tributions to the several public prints, subscribed ' T. V. Lambeth Road,' where he had long resided, though without necessity. We were in the constant habit of receiving from him poetical trifles, some of which have met the public eye ; and, to shew that the passion was not abated by age, we received from him a copy of verses on the day preceding his death. He was a tolerable good scholar, with a ready and a lively humour in conversation, \vhich he retained to the last. He was for many years Clerk of the Peace for Westminster, and held that office at his death."

The late Mr. R. W. Lowe, in the notes to his edition of ' The Rosciad,' 1891, says in one on the passage quoted above (p. 31) :

of the Peace for Westminster, wrote some plays and was a great dabbler in theatrical affairs. His nickname of ' Dapper ' was given him by Colman in the course of a literary quarrel ; and Sheridan is said to have intended Dangle m ' The Critic ' to be a portrait of Vaughan."
 * ' Thomas Vaughan, Clerk to the Commission

Notwithstanding his considerable literary output, Vaughan has failed to find a place in the * D.N.B.' A namesake (fl. 1772- 1820) is included, who was also a dramatist and a solicitor in Westminster. This may have been a son. W. F. PRIDEAUX.

DICKENS AND THACKERAY : MANTA- LINI. I do not know if it has ever been noticed that ' The Great Hoggarty Diamond,' published in 1841, contains a reference to Madame Mantalini, whom Dickens had introduced to readers in * Nicholas Nickleby,' monthly numbers, 1838-9. In chap. x. I read :

" Add to this, I received, just at the time when I was most in want of cash, Madame Mantalini' s bill "

Is there any other instance of the 'con- veyance of a fictitious character in this way from a contemporary, except, of course, for purposes of parody ? NEL MEZZO.

ST. SABINTJS OR ST. SALVIUS. Shortly before his death Col. Harding of Barn- staple told Mr. Thomas Wainwright of that town that St. Sabinus (or St. Salvius) was a British saint who, when on a missionary voyage, was wrecked on Woolacombe Sands. Can any of your readers give an authority for this statement, or for the shipwreck of any early saint upon that coast ? It had been intended to dedicate the new church to St. Sabinus, but so far no confirmation of Col. Harding' s story has been forthcoming. G. B. LONGSTAFF.