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NOTES AND QUERIES. f n s. v. MAR. 23, 1912.

edition (improved), consisting of 1.000 copies, was required in the following year. Since the ' Hawthorndale ' books are now for- gotten, his concealment of his name has perplexed book-lovers and cataloguers, even in some of our largest libraries. One of his works reached at least a tenth edition, but the impression in each case seems to have been rather limited : hence the rarity of his books at the present day.

I should like to learn when and where Matthews was born, and the place and date of his death ; also whether a biographical notice of him has appeared anywhere.

GEORGE WATSON.

SHEPHERD'S MARKET, MAYFAIR. I desire information as regards this and the neigh- bourhood about 1824. On what houses or house did the backs of the houses in Shep herd's Street look ? These would ba in Piccadilly, facing the Green Park. Was 1 he parish church Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley Street ? Could a special licence for marriage be obtained there ? Would three weeks' residence of one party be sufficient for the marriage to have taken place at once ? NEWMAN HARDING.

A BOY (ARMY) BANDMASTER. The New- castle Weekly Chronicle of 2 March, in its ' Music and Musicians ' column, writing a short biography of Mr. H. G. Amers, band- master of the Northumberland Hussars, says :

" Mr. Amers is the present representative of the third generation of his family, who have all been prominently identified with the band of the Northumberland Hussars, and he joined the band when only nine years of age, devoting all his spare time (otherwise than that required for ordinary education) to a close study of concerted music, which study, as it happened, was soon to stand him in good stead, for, at the early age of twelve, by the death of his father, Mr. Amers was sud- denly thrust into the responsible position of bandmaster, and, as such, could then claim the distinction of being the youngest bandmaster in the British military service."

Are we, I would ask, to understand from the above paragraph that Mr. Amers was "officially'' appointed to the post at so immature an age, or did he merely wield the baton as locum tenens until he had attained to manhood, before the actual rank was conferred upon him ? Perhaps some military correspondent of ' N. & Q.' could decide the question. Can any pre- cedent be quoted ?

HERBERT B. CLAYTON.

39, Renfrew Road, Lower Kennington Lane.

DEFOE : ' ROYAL GIN.' The lamented Marcel Schwob was a warm admirer of Defoe's works. In an essay on Schwob, M. Paul Leautaud says :

"II me lisait, en la traduisant de 1'anglais, une page de 1'ecrivain : tioyal-gin, surprenante de couleur et d' ' humour,' ' de la quintessence de Baudelaire,' comme il me disait."

Where has Defoe written this eulogized ' Royal Gin ' ? E.

Copenhagen.

" THE MEMORABLE LADY " : MEREDITH.

In ' The World's Advance,' a sonnet of George Meredith's, occurs the passage :

" Spiral," the memorable lady terms

Our mind's ascent.

Who was the " memorable lady " who termed our mind's ascent " spiral " ?

G. M. T.

NAPOLEON I. AND ROBERT FULTON. A letter was catalogued some years ago by Messrs. Maggs, High Holborn, in which the writer mentions having met Robert Fulton, the American engineer, waiting to have an audience of Napoleon. I should like to know the date of the letter.

H. W. DICKINSON.

MATJREPAS ON MADAME DE POMPADOUR. In the ' Physiologic du Mariage ' (Medita- tion XVII. 1) Balzac notes that the Marquise de Pompadour was attacked " par M. de Maurepas dans le fameux quatrain qui lui valut sa disgrace."

I should be obliged by a copy of these verses. R. L. MORETON.

197. Albany Street, N.W.

MERIET ARMS. Smyth's ' Lives of the Berkeleys ' says that the original certificate to the King in 1168 of the lands of Nicholas de Meriet (grandson of Eadnoth the Saxon staller) " is honoured with his arms on the margent." Is there any other record or description of these arms ?

The great-great-great-great-grandson of Nicholas, Sir John de Meriet, bore as his arms in 1297, Barry of six, or and sable, and his cousin Sir John Meriet of Hester- combe the same with a bend ermine ; no crest given (Somerset Arch. Society's Pro- ceedings, vol. xxviii. p. 106). Was there a crest for these arms ? On 13 July, 1666, the latter arms were granted to Dr. Chris- topher Merrett of Gloucestershire and Lon- don, with the crest, a talbot's head.

The last member of the De Meriet family appears to be Thomas Meriet of Stanlinch, Wilts, 1400-18, although a William Meryet was Rector of Sutton Bingham, Somerset,