Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/137

 ii B.V. FEB. MUMS.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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importance. His ancestral estate was appa- rently in Gascony. He was the intimate friend of the most learned and celebrated Frenchmen of the day. From his desire to adopt Mercer it is presumed that he was unmarried at that time. Any particulars regarding him or his family will be much appreciated. ARTHUR LOWNDES.

143, East Thirty-Seventh Street, New York.

HONE'S ' ANCIENT MYSTERIES.' I have met with the following quotation in Hone's ' Ancient Mysteries Described,' and should be greatly obliged by further information on the subject :

" Not long ago in the metropolis itself, it was usual to bring up a fat buck to the altar of St. Paul's with hunters' horns blowing, &c., in the .middle of Divine service. For on this very spot, or near it, there formerly stood a temple of Diana.''

MIRANDA.

EARLDOM OF DERWENTWATER. About the year 1856 a family of the name of Derwentwater Miles claimed to represent the family of Ratcliffe, Earl of Derwent- water. I should be interested to know how they established relationship.

F. I. A. S.

DIGHTON'S DRAWINGS. One of the most elaborate works of the elder Dighton is the large plate of the Covent Garden hustings during the election of 1798. It measures 2 ft. 6 in. by 2 ft. 3 in., and was etched by M. N. Bate. It contains about 100 figures all of them obviously portraits. There exists an elaborate key to the picture, in which each figure is numbered, but the list of names is missing. I have searched during many months in vain for this list, which should accompany the key. The late Duke of Buccleuch believed he pos- sessed a copy of it, but it was never found. Can any of the readers of ' N. & Q.' throw light on the subject ?

A. M. BROADLEY.

FRENCH PRISONERS OF WAR AT LICH- FIELD. The most prominent prisoners of war taken at the famous battle of Blenheim, 1704, being brought to England, were quartered from 1705 to 1711 at two inland places Nottingham and Lichfield. It was, of course, during this period that Dr. Johnson was born at the latter place, and if he did not actually see any of the French nota- bilities, he must at least often, at a later period, have spoken with others who had, and must have known reminiscences of them then current. Can any one familiar with Johnsonian literature tell me whether

he or any of his chroniclers touch upon the episode of the French prisoners at Lichfield ?

In addition to various official references to this matter that have come under my notice, I have found in George Farquhar's 'Beaux' Stratagem 1 (1706 or 1707) a humorous scene at a Lichfield inn, whence the following extract is taken :

Aimwell. You 're very happy, Mr. Boniface ; pray what other company have you in town ?

Boniface. A power of fine ladies ; and then we have the French officers.

Aimwell. O, that 'a right, you have a good many of those gentlemen ; pray how do you like their company ?

Boniface. So well, as the saying is, that I could wish we had as many more of 'em. They re full of money, and pay double for everything they have. They know, sir, that we paid good round taxes for the making of 'em ; and so they are willing to reimburse us a little ; one of em lodges in my house.

A. STAPLETON.

Nottingham.

JOSEPH NEUNZIG : HEINRICH HEINE. Joseph Neunzig was a school friend of Heine's, their parents being neighbours. As I am extremely interested in Neunzig, I should like to know his career, and whether the friends met again in after-life on a familiar footing of social recognition. I am afraid they did not. M. L. R. BRESLAR.

Percy House, South Hackney.

GLADSTONE ON THE DUTY OF A LEADER.

1 wish to know if the following words are by Gladstone, and if so, in what speech they were uttered :

" The most important duty of a political leader was simply to ascertain the average convictions of his party, and largely to give effect to them.

J. WlLLCOCK.

Lerwick.

MUSICIANS' EPITAPHS : INGLOTT. I am a collector of musicians' epitaphs, and should be very glad to hear of any through the medium of your interesting paper. I should furthermore be interested to learn to which cathedral Wm. Inglott, the organist (whose epitaph is, I think, well known), was attached.

ARTHUR F. HILL. 140, New Bond Street, W.

SELKIRK FAMILY. Is anything known of the Selkirk family ? I found the other day Alexander, son of James Selkirk, buried

2 Sept., 1769. This is the only instance of the name in Distington in Cumberland. It would be interesting to know a little more of the original of our friend Robinson Crusoe. W. CLEMENT KENDALL.