Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/321

 11 S.VI. OCT. 5, 1912.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

LONDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER .-:, 19K.

CONTENTS. No. U5.

NOTES : The Royal Society's 250th Anniversary, 261 Hugh Peters, 263 -The Guildhall Library, 264 A Great Bohemian Scholar "Morocco" An Ulster Rock Pulpit Signs of Old London, 266 An Ingenious Tailor Bunyan Family of Nottingham, 267 " Mob"=a Wanton Kissing the Ladies an English Mode of Salutation" O.K.," 268.

QUERIES :" Tom, Dick, and Harry" "Armiger" and " Husbandman " Price of Tobacco in the Seventeenth Century, 268 Elizabeth Hardy, Novelist Scottish Mercenaries in Norway Authors of Quotations Wanted " Sham Abraham," 269 Epitaphs John Hardy and Samuel Gauntlett, Vicars of Hursley Mrs. Mary Tregon- well Devonshire Schools Hannibal Hamlin, a "Black Republican" "Ancient Britons": Projected Natural History, 270 Segrave : de Segre Derby : Lord Exeter's House : Cecil Family Biographical Information Wanted, 271.

REPLIES :' Widsith ' and "Gautigotb," 271 Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, 272 Families : Duration in Male Line, 273 Bag Envelopes Chained Books Robert Den- ton, 274 The London Bricklayer A venatn Lowndes's ' Bibliographer's Manual,' 275 -Nicholas Herle, M.P. for Gramponnd Sir 'Watkin Williams Wynn : the Prince in Wales, 276 Regent's Circus Alabaster Effigies, 277 'Memoirs of Scriblerus' Title-deeds Churchyard Inscriptions Early French Players in England Vicars of St. John the Baptist, Little Missenden, 278.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' The Royal Charters of the City of Lincoln 'Reviews and Magazines.

Notices to Correspondents.

THE ROYAL SOCIETY'S

250TH ANNIVERSARY. (See ante, pp. 181, 202, 223, 243.)

SEVERAL works have been issued entitled ' History of the Royal Society,' but the most complete consecutive history is that by Weld, published by John W. Parker in 1848. Sprat's book cannot be regarded as a history, as it was published in 1667, when the Society had only recently been organized ; besides which, Sprat says in his ' Advertise- ment to the Reader ' :

" In the title of my book I have taken a liberty, which may be liable to exception. I have call'd it a history of the Royal Society ; whereas the first part wholly treats of the state of the ancient philosophy ; and the third chiefly contains a defence and recommendation of experimental knowledge in general ; so it is only the Second Book that peculiarly describes their Undertaking."

The next History of the Society was by Dr. Birch, published in 1756 in four large quarto volumes ; but it breaks off at the year 1687, and treats only of the scientific proceedings of the Society, reproducing many papers which were read at the meetings and printed in the Philosophical Transactions. A third work appeared in 1812 by Dr. Thomson, but, although styled a History of the Society, it was, as the author states, " an attempt to elucidate the Philosophical Transactions,'" and the entire volume is filled with rapid sketches of the progress of science, and an analysis of the papers in the Transactions.

In 1905 Mr. Henry Benjamin Wheatley, who was clerk 1861-79, wrote 'The Early History of the Royal Society,' a booklet privately printed for the Sette of Odd Volumes ; and in 1906 was published Sir William Huggins's ' The Royal Society.'

Weld's History took up his leisure hours for nearly four years, and he foimd the examination of the archives, with their thousands of letters, a formidable task. What added to his difficulties was that the secretaries in the early days had the custody of the books and papers, many of which on their decease were not returned, and have since been presented to the British Museum a place, Weld remarks, " far less appro- priate for their preservation than the Royal Society's library, to which, indeed, they in justice belong." Consequently, in order to render his History as complete as possible, Weld had to make investigations at the British Museum, the State Paper Office, among the archives of the Lord Chamber- lain's Office, and at the Bodleian. At the British Museum he found the earliest manu- script list of Fellows (MS. 4442). On the first fly-leaf is this epitaph : Underneath this stone is laid

Our neighbour Gaffer Thumb ;

We trust, although full low Ms head,

He '11 rise in the world to come.

This humble monument may shew Where rests an honest man ;

Let kings, whose heads are laid as low, Rise higher if they can.

Weld states that the first step made by the Royal Society towards the formation of a museum was on the 21st of February, 1665, when it was resolved at the meeting " that the donation of 100/. presented by Mr. Colwall should be expended in purchasing the collection of rarities formerly belonging to Mr. Hubbard."

" The only museum worthy of the name at this time in London," Weld records, was