Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 6.djvu/400

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [i2s.vi. JUNE 26,1920.

nights I am pretty well tired by bed-time happily, or they would seem endless. Those who are ill -complain woefully of them. In fact as it is dark at 6 it is hard work to hold out till 12, even for those who have no excuse. I can't imagine where the sea acquires its romantic character. Certainly not from those who know it best. The Captain "and officers all say that they hate it and would leave it directly if they could earn a living in any other way. They must be taught young to endure it at all. Since we left N.Y. we have not seen a single sail although in the great highway of the world. How absurd it seems to expect that a wreck could even be seen ! The Pacific might have drifted about for years without being seen if she were only disabled. Our runs have been as follows 237, 270, 266, 246, 251, 280, 270, 282 so that up to this time we have done 2,103 miles.

Saturday. Today and yesterday we have made very good runs, yesterday 306 and today 297, there not being much sea and the wind being almost directly aft. As I write at 4 p.m. they are expecting to see land every minute and are already in sounding, that is in 94 fathoms. We have seen 3 or 4 ships and are made impatient by the speed with which we leave them behind. On looking back, the time we have been out does not seem so long, but this arises only from its wholly uneventful character. One has nothing to reckon time by but dinner and that is always pretty much the same. People still begin to appear. A woman came up yesterday for the first time, very ghastly, and there are two women and one man who have never shown yet. As the ship gets lighter from the quantity of coal burnt, some 800 tons, she rolls more on les? provo- cation and therefore even to-day is not very auspicious for a first appearance.

Made Cape Clear light at 5 p.m. Cork Harbour at 7 Ballycotton at 9 and Tuskar at 4 a.m. on Sunday, passed Holyhead at 11 and anchored in the Mersey at 5 p.m.

The name which is illegible, in the entry - for Oct. 25, is firmly written in the manu- script, and resembles "Gyonshin," " Gzon- shin, ' ' or perhaps ' ' Lyonshin. ' ' Can any reader of ' N. & Q.' identify it ? It is pre- sumably plural. C. W. B.

THE SOCIETY OF THE CLERKS OF ASSIZE.

AT 11 S. v. 281 (April 13, 1912), appears an account of the Society of Clerks of Assize and their Meetings. These meetings fell into abeyance in 1851, and the following note in the old book is the next step in the history of the Society.

Under date May 20, 1882, my uncle and predecessor in office, Hon. Richard Denman, wrote :

" From 1851 to 1882 a sad hiatus of 31 years. No meeting of this ancient and honourable Society has been held. Great changes have occurred in

the law and in the Circuits. Some improvements have, no doubt, been made, but the experience and knowledge possessed by the Clerks of Assize would have been very useful if called into council by those who had to make the changes.

"It is earnestly hoped by the writer, who has the honour to be the Senior Clerk of Assize, that these meetings will be resuscitated and that this interesting Book will be kept and handed down as it was almost without interruption from 1678 to 1851."

About the year 1890 the Clerks of Assize met to discuss a matter of pure business ; and I, on that occasion, urged the revival of the Society on the old lines. My proposal was agreed to, to the extent of our request- ing the junior to arrange a dinner ; but that gentleman's multifarious occupations inter- fered with his so doing, and the dinner never took place.

It was not until the year 1913 when, on the death of Mr. Arthur Coleridge, I became Senior Clerk of Assize, that any further effort to resuscitate the Society was made. I issued invitations to my brethren, and on Dec. 18, 1913, three of them did me the honour of dining with me. All the others, with one unfortunate exception, having signified their approval of the movement, the Society was, on that night, declared to be once more alive.

On May 14, 1914, the Society met and dined at the Old Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street ; but since the outbreak of war until bhe present time, the years having been 'to quote an entry relating to the year 1729) "very Poor Yeares," there has been "nor Eatinge nor Drinkinge. "

Nevertheless, since 1913, meetings have >een held annually ; and the following supple- mental notes bring the records of the Society down to date.

HOME CIRCUIT.

Hon. Richard Denman first attended as Clerk of Assize of the South Wales Division of the N. and S. Wales Circuit, Nov. 12, 1836.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT. Arthur Duke Coleridge died Oct. 29, 1913,

aged 83.

George Pleydell Bancroft, appointed Nov. 25, 1913, attended the re-inaugural dinner, Dec. 18 1913.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.

Sir Herbert Stephen, 2nd Bart., first attended May 18, 1915.

NORTH EASTERN CIRCUIT. Claude Fitzroy Wade, resigned his post in 1916,

and died Apr. 6, 1917. Clement Milton Barber, late Deputy Clerk of

Assize on the same Circuit, appointed Clerk

of Assize, Apr. 1, 1916, first attended May 12,

1916.