Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/214

 174

NOTES AND QUERIES. 112 s. vn. A. 28, 1020.

A cord tied to the collar of a young, or too -eager spaniel, hunting hedgerows for the .gun, is still in common use. Hunting hounds harriers and fox-hounds, or beagles have long been bred to such perfection as 1x> require no "trashing," in this Shakes- fpearian sense.

'N.E.D.'s' Trash V. says, "As it is a .hunting term, 'OF Trasier, trachier ' to draw a line through, strike out, efface, which .agrees in form, does not explain." But the scord between the spaniel's legs does.

'N.E.D.' quotes "to trash for overtop- ping," as the earliest instance. Later, as the .sporting significance was lost, the word seems to have become obsolete. But -is very interesting, since it shows once more how our sporting terms come from Norman- .Trench. The emendation or explanation of "lop for over-topping," is a hopeless misunderstanding of the poet. That -delightiul and too little known book, ''The Diary of Master William Silence,' by Mr. Justice Madden, vice-chancellor of the University of Dublin (published in 1897), tells practically of "trashing" (p. 39 and note. ed. 1897). UVEDAHE LAMBERT.
 * N.E.D.'s ' derivation (undoubtedly correct)

IN PRAISE OF INDEXING (12 S. vii. 130). 'The following extracts may prove of interest to your correspondent :

" I certainly think that the best book in the world would owe the most to a good index, and -the worst book, if it had but a single good thought in it, might be kept alive by it. Horace Binney to St. Austin Allibone."

" Those authors, whose subjects require them 'to be voluminous, will do well, if they would be remembered as long as possible, not to omit a duty which authors in general, but especially modern authors, neglect that of appending to their works a good index. Henry Rogers, ' The "\ r anity and Glory of Literature.' "

Many extracts and quotations are also given in H. B. Wheatley's ' What is an Index ? ' vol. i. of the Index Society Publications, 1879. ARCHIBALD SPARKE.

Lord Chesterfield, March 27, O.S. 1748, ^advises his son to index his information on the kingdoms and states of Europe : "I 'have msyelf found great utility in this method." Johnson wished for an index to word upon Indexes in 'The Indicator.' Walsh's ' Handy-book of Literary Curio- sities ' gives a number of interesting details on the subject of indexes, ending with an acrostic from *N. & Q.' G. G. L.
 * Clarissa Harlowe.' Leigh Hunt has a

A few weeks back the exact date I fail to recollect Mr. Edmund Gosse in reviewing a book for the Sunday Times, remarked that publishers who issued books at any rate, the kind of book under notice without an index should be led out and shot.

Possibly H. B. Wheatley's ' How to make an Index,' 1886, may assist your querist.

J. P. DE C.

MR. W. DE CASTRE will find in a complete edition of Johnson's 'Dictionary,' reference to authors, other than those he mentions. S. J. CLIPPINGDALE.

36 Holland Park Avenue, W.

PORTRAITS BY COTES (12 S. vii. 8, 53). Mr. Herbert Reade states that he is desirous of tracing a portrait of Maria Gunning, afterwards Lady Coventry. A portrait of the above-mentioned lady, and also one of of her sister, Elizabeth, afterwards Duchess of Hamilton are in the possession of Mrs. Benjamin H. Morland, of Sheepstead House, near Abingdon. Mrs. Morland informs me :

" W e know these two portraits of the Misses Gunning, are by Henry Morland, George Morland's father. In a book I possess called ' The Fatal Gift,' Maria Coventry mentions Cotes to her sister, saying that he ought to paint their pictures as they were in the old Irish days, dancing on the green with bare legs."

The picture in question shows that Maria was a brunette. Mr. Herbert Reade could inspect Mrs. Morland's two portraits if he so desired. P. M.

MAY (12 S. v. 123, 164, 194). William Vassal May became Ensign, 90th Foot Dec. 26, 1781, and appears to have ex- changed to the half-pay of the 60th Foot in 1783. J. B. WHITMORK.

MAJOR-GENERAL JULIUS CAESAR (12 S. vii. 129). I have a note, taken, I think, from Burke, Landed Gentry, that he was the second son of Charles Adelmare Caesar of Bennington Place, Herts, by Mary, 2nd d. of Ralph Freeman, Esq., of Aspenden Hall : d. unm. in Germany Aug. 7, 1762. I have riot found the date of his birth, but his elder brother was born 1703/4.

J. B. WHITMORE.

'THE SPECTATOR ' (12 S. vii. 131, 158). The question " Who were the writers whose initials stand at the bottom of their several articles " is partially answered as follows :

Joseph Addison used one of the letters in the name CLIO. Ho was born 1672, son of the Rev. Lancelot A, rector of Milston,