Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 9.djvu/53

 ii s. ix. JAN. 17, ion.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

1732 ' there is (p. 31) Parsons, a colleger, who may be this William Parsons, who was born in 1717, probably in December. This is the only list between 1728 and 1742.

The baronetcy became extinct in 1812 on the death of Sir Mark, son of the afore- said William. There is some account of this William in ' Half -Hours with High- waymen,' by Charles G. Harper, 1908.

ROBERT PIERPOINT.

WILLIAM UPCOTT AND ' THE ANTI- JACO- BIN.' It is known that William Upcott, then a shopman at John Wright's bookshop, 169, Piccadilly, was confidential amanuensis to the editors of The Anti-Jacobin when they met on Sundays in the room on the first floor. In an early issue of ' N. & Q.' (3 May, 1851) the late EDWARD HAWKINS wrote at length on the identification of the contributors and the manner of preparing each issue of that witty publication. That Upcott retained the friendship of some of these patrons for very many years is shown in an interesting note of W. Gifford's before rno

Upcott has prefixed the following :

" I called at Mr. Gifford's, No. 6, James St., Buckingham Gate, and sent up my name. He was too unwell to see me, bufc sent down by the servant the following very friendly apology. W. Upcott."

MY DEAR OLD FRIEND, I am rejoiced at seeing your name again, and regret exceedingly that my voice is so feeble at this instant as to 'be utterly inaudible. I trust you will repeat your kindness, as 1 long to see you. I now think of going to Ramsgate for a month. If I return improved in strength, I will not fail to call on you for a visit. Most faithfully yours,

Mr. Upcott, W. GIFFORD.

Islington.

Upcott has added the date 25 June 1825. ALECK ABRAHAMS.

" LUNETTES D'APPROCHE." The Count de Coligny, who was in command of the French auxiliary troops in the battle of St. Gothard against the Turks in 1664, mentions in his ' Memoirs ' having on that occasion made use of " grandes lunettes d'approche, qui nous firent encore bien mieux discemer les objets." L. L. K.

SUSPENSION OF XEWSPAPER PUBLICATION ON CHRISTMAS DAY. (See US. viii. 505.) In the interest of strict accuracy, it may be pointed out that the words " this country " in MR. ROLAND AUSTIN'S note on the sus- pension of newspaper publication on Christ- mas Day apply to England only, not to the United Kingdom as a whole. All the

Scottish daily papers, both morning and evening, were published 011 Christmas Day of 1913, as is the invariable custom. G. Cat-heart.

WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that answers may be sent to them direct.

DIDO'S PURCHASE OF LAXD.

WHERE can I find collected the Western variants and analogues, if any such there are, of the story of Dido's craftv purchase of land ?

At present I know only three tales of this kind recorded in India, China, and Japan. But in each of these the hero is made to have saved himself from the trouble of cutting up the hide of a bull into the thinnest possible strips, with which to surround a great extent of country, by resorting at once to a display of his supernatural power. They run as follows :

" When Madhyantika, the third Buddhist patriarch, subdued a gigantic dragon, then the proprietor of the country of Kashmir, he asked for the surrender of a spot just big enough for his seat. This being granted by the dragon, he miraculously enlarged his own body into such a dimension that the whole region was sat on by him cross-legged. Intensely amazed with the sight, the dragon questioned him for why he required so vast an extent of land. ' For my companions' sake,' was his reply. ' How many companions do you intend to bring in this coun- try ?' ' Five hundred arhats [saints],' answered he. The dragon now implored to be allowed to re-obtain the realm whensoever that number of arhats should happen to diminish by one. Then Madhyantika put himself into an ecstatic trance, and foreknew such a diminution never to occur as long as Buddhism would flourish in this country. So he acceded to the dragon's en- treaty, and subsequently he introdiiced into Kashmir numberless people, who settled them- selves in the villages, towns, and cities they had established therein. Some time after Mad- hyantika went with his men through the atmo- sphere to Gandba-madana [lit. " Incense Moun- tain," for the site of which see Balfour, ' The Encyclopedia of India,' 1885, vol. L p. 1168], in order to bring thence the turmeric seeds for

Sropagation in Kashmir. Bxit the guardian ragon of that mountain opposed him wrathfully, and questioned him for w T hat duration he would have the plant cultivated in Kashmir. He replied, ' As long as Buddhism could continue there to prevail.' ' How many years ?' ' One thousand years.' So the dragon gave him tin- seeds, after transporting which to Kashmir Madhyantika entered Nirvana." The third tomo of ' The Life of- King Asoka,' translated into Chinese under the title ' O-yuh-Avang-cliuen,' by An Fah-kin, a Parthian religious, about A.D. 300.