Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/513

 n B.V.JCSE i,i9i2.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

LOXDON, SATURDAY, JUSE 1, 1013.

CONTENTS. No. 127.

NOTES: Charles Dickens, 422 A Runic Calendar, 422 " Wale "= Choice Francis Bacon: a Kecent Exemplum Alphabeti Biliterarii, 425 Danteiana Commodore Levy : William Durst, 426 "The Tribes of Gal way " Re- publican Medallion, 427.

QUERIES : Roman Wit Convent of the Blue Nuns, Brompton Frances, Duchess of Suffolk, 427" Don't nail his ears to the pump" Clive at Birmingham -St. Wilhelmina Baldwin's Gardens Widest Streets in London Apparent Death Viscount Wimbledon Casanova and Carlyle Hancock as a Place-NameSir W. Courtenay, 428 Haberjam Family Badham : Ballard Robert Shaw of Bawtry " The more the merrier "Grand Master Vilhena Capture of Spira-J. Holland, F.S. A Gordon Rembrandt and Manasseh Ben Israel Author Wanted W. Hewer " Grains Aims Hay," 429 Wordsworth's Friend Jones, 429.

REPLIES : Dr. James of St. Bees Latin Guide to West- minster Abbey, 430 German " Romans de Cape et d'Epe"-Georgiana, Duchess of Bedford -"The memor- able lady " Barnett, 431 Alex. Garden' Common- wealth Mercury' : Tea, 432 Henry May hew Centenary Congres Internationaux des Sciences Historiques, 433 Wiltshire Phrases ' Long Ago' Military Executions, 434 -Carlyle : Explanation Wanted De Vere at Drury Lane Polish Poets Dutchman's Anchor, 435 Belasyse The Thames : Vortigern Napoleon and the Bee, 436 Baker Peter Smith, 437 Upham Authors of Quotations Wanted Selby Peculiar Court " Hemsman " Mumtaz Mahal, 438.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' Survey of London : Lincoln's Inn Fields ' ' Book-Prices Current ' ' The Fortnightly ' and 'Cornhill.' Notices to Correspondents.

CHARLES DICKENS. FEBRUARY TTH, 1812 JUNE OTH. 1870.

(See ante, pp. 81, 101, 121, 141, 161, 182, 203, 223, 243, 262, 284, 301, 323, 344, 362, 383, 404.)

ALTHOUGH during the last autumn of Dickens' s life all that could be done to spare him from over-excitement was done, yet there were certain public engagements in which he felt bound to take part. In August, 1869, at the dinner to celebrate the International Boat-race, he proposed the health of the Harvard and the Oxford crews ; and on Monday, the 27th of September, he fulfilled his promise to open the session of the Birmingham Institute. In his address, which was on ' Education for the People,' he said " that his invention! such as it was, never would have served him as it had done, but for the habit of commonplace, patient, drudging attention " ; and he declared his political creed to be " infinitesimal faith in the people governing, and illimitable _faith in the

People governed.'' On leaving he promised to return the following year to distribute the prizes to the students.

That Dickens had great business abilities is well known, and these were always at the service of his friends. The signing of an agreement, which he had himself drawn up, for Fechter to go to America was the occasion of one of the " international " gatherings at " Gad s " this autumn ; and another of his acts of kindness was the revision- of an agreement for Miss Glyn, who had received offers to visit Australia. To Miss Glyn he had ever shown himself one of the most sym- pathetic of friends, and she often told my father how useful his advice had been to her. Her troubles excited the sympathy of all who knew her ; indeed, she herself was all kindness, and at my father's request came to my house and gave a reading of ' Hamlet ' to my friends, and often spoke to me of Dickens's thoughtful care for her interests.

The bravery with which she bore her many troubles was marvellous, but her impetuous disposition once caused her to be committed to Holloway for contempt of court. My father visited her there, and the wardress told him that she was the most merry prisoner in all her experience. She was a handsome woman, with a stately presence, and dark complexion and hair. Her voice was exquisite, and her power of changing and modulating it she maintained to the last. I saw her, at her request, a few days before she passed away on the 18th of May, 1889, after a long and painful illness, and was present at her funeral at Kensal Green on the following Wednesday. Sir Henry Irving and many of her friends in the theatrical world (for she was a woman greatly beloved) were among the mourners.

The Athenceum, in its obituary notice of her (May 25th, 1889), stated that on the 8th of November, 1847, she made her debut as -Constance in ' King John.' At Sadler's Wells with Phelps she took the part of leading lady, vacated by Mrs. Warner, and appeared as Volumnia, Queen Catherine, Portia, and Cleopatra.

Before the year 1869 closed Dickens had occasion to rejoice over " a great success in the boy-line. Harry," he wrote to Forster, " has won the second scholarship at Trinity Hall, which gives him 507. a year as long as he stays there. 5 ' The father began to hope " that he will get a fellowship."' Henry missed the fellowship, but was twenty- ninth Wrangler, when the Wranglers were over forty.