Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/212

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. v. MAK. 2, 1012.

of La Sila, notwithstanding Cowell's state- ment in his ' Interpreter,' 1607, that " Calaber is a little beast, in bignesse, about the quantity of a Squirrel, of colour gray, and bred especially in High Germanic."

I must apologize for the length of this reply, and only trust that the effect of it may be to clear up once and for all the hazy and erroneous ideas which have prevailed hitherto as to the exact meanings of gris and meneuer ( meniver, or modern minever). JOHN HODGKIN.

Information concerning the animal in question, and the uses of its skin, might be found by consulting a comparatively rare book, the title of which, for the most part, I can only cite from memory, my copy being far overseas :

" Maison rustique, or the Count rie Farme, translated out of the Prenche tongue of Charles Stevens and Jean Liebault, Doctors of Physicke, by Richard Surflet. . . .Also a short description of the hunting of the Harte, Graie, Conie, &c. London, Printed by Edm. Bollifant for Bonharn Norton, 1600."

The abridged title of a copy of this curious work appears in the privately printed ' Hand List ' of the library of Lord Amherst of Hackney, compiled by Seymour de Ricci (Cambridge, 1906). At the time of my last examination, the Library of the British Museum did not possess a copy of the 1600 edition. T. F. DWIGHT.

La Tour de Peilz, Switzerland.

" SUNG BY REYNOLDS IN 1820 " (11 S. v. 88). It may be that the Reynolds referred to was Tom Reynolds, who " commenced business as a professional pugilist " in or about 1817. On 23 July, 1817, he beat Belasco.

Probably " Go back to Brummagen " was addressed to Phil Sampson, called " The Birmingham Youth," who on 29 February, 1820, met Belasco in a glove fight at the Royal Tennis Court, Windmill Street. When the encounter was apparently over, and Belasco was bowing to the spectators, Sampson hit him on the side of the head. This brought on another round, in which Belasco had the worst of it. They were parted, and Cribb took Sampson away. The conduct of " The Birmingham Youth " was considered discreditable. Shortly after- wards 17 July Sampson was defeated by Jack Martin. He " was now certainly under a cloud. "

There was much ill-feeling between Belasco and Sampson, and they met in a severe glove fight at the Tennis Court,

21 December of the same year (1820), when Belasco was worsted. The author of the book from which I am quoting speaks of Sampson's " skill in letter-writing, and in avoiding a match." It may be that there was some intention of arranging a meeting between Reynolds and Sampson, and that the song quoted by ME. CORFIELD was written to promote it, and the singing of it attributed to Reynolds.

It need scarcely be said that Aby (Abra- ham) Belasco was a Hebrew. He had a brother Israel, a minor pugilist.

I have omitted to mention that Belasco and Sampson fought at Potter's Street in Essex, 22 February, 1819. There was a dispute as to the result. The decision was eventually in favour of Belasco. For the above see ' Pugilistica,' by Henry Downes Miles, i. 481-6; ii. 454-60, 478.

If my suggestion that the " youth of that ancient and halfpenny town " means " The Birmingham Youth," the burden of the song would appear to be that he should leave London, where he was apparently far from popular, and return to Birmingham, where he might " maul manufacturers," instead of fighting professionals. Perhaps " halfpenny town " alludes to the fact that- copper coins were made in Birmingham by Boulton & Watt, 1797-1816, or to Bir- mingham having been the chief seat of illegal mints for copper coins. See ' The Coin Collector's Manual,' by H. Noel Humphreys, 1853, pp. 490, 493.

ROBEBT PlERPOINT.

The lines quoted refer to some pugilistic encounter. Tom Reynolds was born in Ireland, but bred in Covent Garden, London; he was a notorious prizefighter, and at one time a publican in Drury Lane. Abra- ham and Israel Belasco were brothers, and Jews. There was another prizefighter, Philip Sampson by name, who, though a Yorkshireman by birth, was called the "Birmingham Youth." Abraham Belasco bad several encounters with Reynolds and Sampson. For greater details see Pierce Egan's ' Boxiana,' ii. 429, 432 ; iii. 392, 512, 540 ; iv. 344, 521-37, 588.

A. RHODES.

The verses quoted by MR. WILMOT

ORFIELD refer to a prizefight between some

one known as the " Birmingham Pet " and

David Belasco, a well-known Jew pugilist

of the Regency date. The author was an

iccentric personage who contributed to

Bell's Life and similar journals under the