Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 3.djvu/227

 12 8. HI. MARCH 24, 1917.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

221

NOTICE.

UNUBSS the unexpected happens, the next number (March 31) will be the last weekly issue of ' N. & Q.' at least, until the con- clusion of the War. It will be remembered that in 1915, rather than allow me to accept an offer which was made to purchase the copyright, certain contributors raised a sum of money as guarantee against loss in "carrying on." The amount then collected is now so nearly exhausted that I am faced with the possibility of having to stop publi- cation altogether unless expenses are at once reduced. 1 much regret that the change has become so imminent before acquainting our readers with its necessity. The reason for this is that the contributor who was most active in raising the Guarantee Fund asked me to delay making any announce- ment for a month, before the conclusion of which he hoped to be able to render it possible to continue the weekly issue. In addition to the voluntary work thus under- taken on behalf of the paper, he generously agreed to find 20 to wards the expenses that would be incurred during the interval. The time has now expired, and I regret to say that he has been unsuccessful in his endeavour.

I have put before those who contributed to the Guarantee Fund the following four suggestions which were made to me :

(1) That a small private company should loe formed among the contributors.

(2) That ' N. & Q.' should be issued monthly instead of weekly.

(3) That the size of the paper should be reduced to 16 pages weekly.

(4) That the price should be raised from 4d. to (?) Qd. weekly.

The response so far received points con- clusively to the monthly issue not so much because of the number who regard such a course as the least of the evils, as because nearly all those who favour it have already sent contributions towards making it pos- sible. It is proposed that the monthly issue shall take the form of a 32-page paper, published at Qd. on the 15th. It will be enlarged or curtailed as circumstances permit or necessitate.

I can only hope that the friends of 4 X. & Q.' will enable us to make the change as successful as is possible in the very trying circumstances at present obtaining.

J. EDWABD FRANCIS.

LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH tk, 1917.

CONTENTS. No. 65.

NOTES : Portsmouth Dockyard in 1756, 221' Fleetwood Genealogical Puzzle,' 224 Jacob, the Wonder-working French Zouave, 226 Cookery Words in 1742' Master Papers ' : Two Hotel Dinner Bills, 228 Geoffrey Blythe : English Ambassador to Hungary, 1502, 229.

QUERIES: "Benedict," the Delia Cruscan King's Gentlemen Volunteers in the Navy in 1692 "Ye Olde Fulham Bridge Tavern " Demosthenes : Reference Wanted A " Judy "Michael Smith, D.D, 229 Temple Family Authors Wanted Author of Quotation Wanted Portraits Wanted Library of William Watkin Edward Wynne of Peniarth Alexander Smith on Poe Old Wood Carving : Inscription, 230 James Drayton The Plymouth Brethren Thrale Hall, Streatham, 231.

REPLIES : Representations of the Blessed Trinity, 231 English Colloquial Similes, 232 Watch Houses Argostoli, 233 English Army List, 234 " Tattering a kip "Gilbert and Sullivan William Hastings. 1777 Grace Darling The Cock : Carving of a Lgend.$235 Mews or Mewys Family Hans-Town or Cadngan-Land, 236 Sunday Observance in the Eighteenth Century Thomas Gray' Jonathan Wild, the Great,' 237 Jonas Han way " Runt " Churchill's Grave, 238 Heart in Hand Powdered Glass Clinton Maund of Merton College, 239.

NOTES ON BOOKS: 'Outlines of Mediaeval History' ' The Ascent of Olympus.'

Jottings from Catalogues.

PORTSMOUTH DOCKYARD IN 1756.

THE diary which follows came into my hands from the same source and under the circum- stances stated in my previous communica- tions (see ante, p. 89). The writer of the present diary was apparently a naval officer whose particular duty was the inspection of dockyards, as the writer of the former diaiy was probably a military engineer officer. Neither has signed his name which, after all, is only what one would expect, for one never does sign one's name to a diary unless it be official. But the naval man fortu- nately has given the date in full, whereas the military man left it to be discovered by correspondents of ' N. & Q.' Probably the identity of the former could be ascertained at the Admiralty if the officials of that department had not just now weightier matters to occupy all their time.

" Muddling through " seems to have been ,he order of the day in the reign of King George II., as it has been on different occasions in more recent reigns, and " good