Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/378

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. vi. OCT. 19, 1912.

I. HUCKS, B.A. I have ' A Pedestrian Tour through North Wales in a Series of Letters,' by I. Hucks, B.A. The tour extended from 11 July, 1794, to the old passage over the Severn, 2 Aug., 1794. Is there anything known of the author ? The book is not mentioned by Allibone.

D. R. M.

MAJOR WM. O 'BRYAN TAYLOR. I have been trying to obtain some biographical matter concerning this officer. In certain scrapbooks now before me there is a fine little pen-and-ink sketch of the house at Sevastopol where Capt. Taylor, R.I., resided, November, 1855; and a similar sketch shows an " Interview between the Burmese and British Commissioners at Poonie, the Band of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment included." There are in the same book many clever humorous sketches, and also some cartoons which suggest the work of a contributor to Punch, one cartoon, ' Waiting for an Answer,' referring to England and the U.S.A., and having verses descriptive, dated December, 1861.

Anothsr scrapbook includes a very early photograph of a group of officers of the 18th Regiment.

The books appear to have belonged to "Mary H. Taylor," and verses and inscrip- tions seem to be in her handwriting. There are no Army records of this Major Taylor after 1861, but I should like to know any- thing of him to add to these facts, and to send on for the Regimental Record.

S. COTTERELL. 319, Broad Street, Birmingham.

GEORGE DYER. Is his MS. autobio- graphy in existence ? A friend writes to me that it is mentioned in The Gentleman's Magazine for 1841. Is there any record of Dyer's visit to the Scottish Border in com- pany with John Leyden ? I have read Mr. Lucas's article which appeared in The Cornhill some years ago.

W. E. WILSON. Hawick.

" BASSET." Can any of your readers in- form me what composed this game ? It is mentioned in Evelyn's ' Diary ' under the date of 4 Feb., 1684/5 :

" about 20 of the greate courtiers and

other dissolute persons were at Basset round a large table, a bank of at least 2000 in gold before them."

CLIFTON ROBBINS.

[The ' N.E.D.' states that this game resembled faro, and was first played at Venice.]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WANTED. 1. SIR WILLIAM THROCKMORTON, fourth baronet, is said to have been killed in a duel, and to have been buried at St. Mar- garet's, Westminster, 1 July, 1682. I should be glad to know when and where the duel was fought, and the name of his opponent.

2. ZOUCH TOWNLEY graduated M.A. at Oxford University from Ch. Ch. in 1621. How long was he Deputy Public Orator ? When did he die ? He is said to have been a member of the ancient Lancashire family of that name. Can any correspondent give me the particulars of his parentage ?

G. F. R. B.

AUTHORSHIP OF 'THE DEVIL'S WALK.'

(11 S. vi. 251.)

THERE is no doubt about the authorship of this jeu d' esprit, for it can hardly be called a poem. It was the joint production of Coleridge and Southey, and was originally printed, under the title of ' The Devil's Thoughts,' in The Morning Post of Friday, 6 Sept., 1799. Exactly a hundred years afterwards, on 6 Sept., 1899, that journal published an article, and also a leader, which gave the history of the piece, as well as a reprint of the stanzas, which were thirteen in number. There were originally fourteen, but one of them was "probably deleted by the editorial pen." When Coleridge published the poem in 1828 he prefixed a note, from which I quote the relevant portion :

" Of this poem, which first appeared in The Morning Post, the first three stanzas, which are worth all the rest, and the ninth [which was the eighth in the original version] were dictated by Mr. Southey. Between the ninth and the con- cluding stanza two or three are omitted, as grounded on subjects that have lost their interest, and for better reasons."

As regards the ascription of the author- ship to Person, the leader tells the following story, which is confirmed in the article :

" Person's intervention, however, is the strangest part of the story. Happening to read The Morning Post, as was his custom, on the day that the verses appeared, he was so struck with them that he transcribed them, obviously not wishing to spoil his copy of the paper, which then cost sixpence, by cutting them out. He showed them to his friend, Dr. Vincent, but forgot to mention that he had merely copied them, and