Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/201

 12 s. vii. A. 28, i92o.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

161

LONDON, AUGUSTUS, 1920.

CONTENTS. No. 124.

'NOTES: The Diary of Viscount Percival, 161 Irish Family History : Hewetson of Ballyshannon, 163 An English Army List of 1740, 165 Edward Farley, 166 Admission of Women as Fellows of the Society of Anti- quaries Bossuet on the House of Hapsburg First Jews admitted to Parliament James II., 167 Folk-lore : Three Knocks a Sign of Death, 168.

QUERIES -. Stratton Garlic and Tewkesbury Mustard- Thomas Richard Avery Benedict Arnold's Burial Place, 168 Dr. Herbert Hawes De la Hayde Mason Joseph Mallard Steuben's ' Death of Napoleon ' Negro Drummers Faithorn Family Orientation of Churches- Willow Pattern China, 169 Bignold : Bunyon Raleigh The "'Umble" Commons: "Revenue" 'The Art of Reading ' Authors of Quotations Wanted 170.

((REPLIES: Black Boy, Chelmsford, 170 ' Our London Letter' Wideawake Hats, 171 Hamilton's at Holyrood

. Phipps = Waller Sovereign of Naas : Sovereign of Dingle -"Airworthy" Culcheth, 172 An Old Palindrome Interpreted Lytton Queries A Stolen Tide Prisoners who have Survived Hanging" Seevier" The Crucifixion in Art: the Spear- Wound ''To Trash for Overtopping," 173 In Praise of Indexing Portraits by Cotes May Major-Gen. Julius Caesar 'The Spectator,' 174 Julia, Daughter of Caesar the Dictator Governor Herbert of Nevis, 175 Curious Surnames John Allan's Excursions Vita Man Calverley's Parodies' 177 Major Dyngwell Crimean War in Fiction Snow : a Ship's Name Liveries
 * tainsby House, Horsley Wood, Derby, 176 -The Aqua

1 of the London Livery Guilds Funeral Parlour " Nor did Fly for it" Sir Robert Bell of Beaupr^ Biscuit China- Author of Quotation Wanted, 178.

2* OTES ON BOOKS : Crabb's English Synonymes 1 ' The Subject Index to Periodicals, 1917-1919.' Notices to Correspondents.

THE DIARY OF VISCOUNT PERCIVAL.

.A SIGN of the revival of the activities of the Historical MSS. Commissioners, held in abeyance during the war, is given by the issue, among their series of Reports, of the first volume of the Diary of Viscount Percival afterwards first Earl of Egmont, containing the instalment for the four years, 1730 to 1733, when George II. was King and Sir Robert Walpole his first minister. Its appearance is somewhat belated for, as disclosed by the date of the Introduction, it was ready for issue in 1916. But, doubtless, there were good public reasons for the postponement.

The volume, so unpretending in its buff paper cover, taking a little advertised place among "papers presented to parliament," and priced two shillings to a probably

unattracted public, is of exceptional value and importance. The diary in its original form is in twelve manuscript volumes. An agent of the Commissioners who handled them in early days, committed himself timorously to the opinion that " they seem to be interest- ing." It could only have been a most cursory examination of them which could have allowed him to dismiss them with such faint praise. They merit much higher commendation than this. Their nature makes a comparison with the works of Pepys and Evelyn inevitable. If they lack some of the peculiar qualities of Pepys' pages, they compare very favourably with those of Evelyn, and commencing as they do twenty- four years after Evelyn laid down his pen, it may be said that at the least they worthily maintain the Evelyn tradition.

They do, in fact, present an extraordinarily vivid picture of the times, a picture crowded with figures from among all sorts and con- ditions of men. Of proceedings in the House of Commons, they contain a full record, such record as is nowhere else to be found. Lord Percival, joint member with his brother-in-law for Harwich, was a con- stant attendant at sittings of the House, and laid himself out to be, not only almost verbal reporter of the speakers in debate, but sketch writer of proceedings also. Unfor- tunately, his record does not begin until the third session of the first parliament of George II., but once begun, there is little to lament as regards lack of copious detail. By collation of the two works it was found that there are some hundred and thirty occasions on which debates are more or less fully reported, about which Cob- bett's ' Parliamentary History ' is alto- gether silent. And in other instances where Cobbett reports one principal speaker only, Percival at least summarises the speeches of most of those who took part in the debate, and sometimes does more. To make extracts here from speeches in debate would be out of place, but as examples of his descriptive turn, we may instance the following from an early page.

" Mr. Sands made the motion, and Shippen, with Will Poulteney supported it. Sir Robert Walpole opposed it, Shippen saying it was good to rub ministers, for it made them the brighter, Sir Robert answered, if so, he must be the brightest minister that ever was. Poulteney replied he knew nothing was the brighter for rubbing but pewter and brass, alluding to Sir Robert's nick-name of * Brazen Face ' ribaldry unfit for the House."

Of another occasion he tells in what manner Speaker Onslow ruled debate. The