Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/301

 N IK, APRIL 12. '560 NOTES AND QUERIES.

293

Chesterfield Portraits. Is anything known at the present day of the portraits of the Chesterfield family described in the following curious adver- tisement, printed in the Mercurius Politicus for the week between Nov. 19 and Nov. 26, 1657.

" Stoln from the Earl of Chesterfield, at his House in Great Queen Street, betwixt one and five of the clock in the morning, being the 25th day of November, as fol- Joweth :

" The Countess of Northumberland's picture set round with Diamonds.

The Earl of Chesterfield's picture set round with Dia- monds.

The young Lady Capel's picture in a Gold Case.

The Lady Anne Stanhope's picture in a Gold Case.

A square Silver Box set with long Cornelions, four Rings.

" Give notice of these, or any of these, to Mr. Henry Carter, Upholster, at his house at the Cock, in Great Queen Street, and they shall have a reasonable reward."

C. P.

Coal-pits of Durham and Northumberland. Could any of your correspondents refer me to any statistics on the possible duration of the Durham and Northumberland Coal Mines, other than those given by M c Culloch, in his British. Empire, edition of 1846?

Is there any foundation for the assertion of one of our " smart men," and popular lecturers, that the coal fields of the north of England would be exhausted in 200 years ; or was it a mere assump- tion, on which to build a doubtful theory ?

D. STEVENS.

Columbus, Ohio, U. S., March 10, 1856.

Anonymous Books : " A Compleat History of Europe." Who was the author of A Compleat History of Europe from the Year 1600 to the Year 1714. 170520., 8vo., 18 vol. ? "A copy," says Lowndes, " is in the British Museum."

Vol. xv. is " inscribed to Rowland Holt, Esq., by his most humble and devoted servant, D. J." Was this David Jones ? Vol. v. is described as " Written by a Gentleman, who kept an exact Journal of all Transactions for above these Twenty Years." BIBLIOTHECAK. CHETHAM.

Rev. Robert Montgomery. This gentleman, we are told, in an obituary notice in The Gentle- man's Magazine, " was the son of Gomery, a cele- brated theatrical clown ; whether the latter name was one assumed by the father, as usual on the stage, whilst his real name was Montgomery, or whether the son elongated the true name into Montgomery, we are not informed." The object of the writer of this note is not to stir the con- troversy relative to the poetical claims of the de- ceased, nor even to excite merely general remarks on ^the question above indicated, but simply to invite the evidence of facts. Is anything known of the parentage or kindred of the clown ? Is the

name first above attributed to him at present known as a patronymic at all ? Where, and by what surname, was his son the poet baptized ? Can the register containing the official record of his christening be produced and inspected, and an authenticated copy of the entry be given in " N. & Q." ? It is to be presumed satisfactory evidence on this point must have been given, in some form, when the poet was admitted to holy orders ; but it seems remarkable that, oft as his title to the name of Montgomery has been ques- tioned, the important evidence of a baptismal re- gister has neither been adduced nor referred to in public. D.

Twelve Knights of name of Maclellan, co. Gal- loway. In Debrett's Peerage, ed. 1823, it is stated that in the reign of Alexander II., 1217, there were in Galloway twelve knights of the name of Maclellan, of whom Sir Patrick Maclellan, tutor of Bombie, was the chief. Are the names of any other of the eleven known ?

In 1738, James Maclellan of Annan, Dum- friesshire, married Margaret Kery, daughter of Dr. John Kery, physician to George I., and Jean Law, sister to John Law, of Lauriston. Wanted the exact relationship of this James Maclellan to the Kircudbright family. Was he connected with William of Borness, the sixth lord, or with an earlier branch of the family ? ALFHED T. LEE.

Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

Original Magna Charta : Archbishop Laud: Warner, Bishop of Rochester.

" Among the writings he (Warner) took away (from Laud's closet), it is believed, the original Magna Charter, passed by King John in the Mead, near Staines, was one. This was found among Warner's papers by his executor, and that descended to his son and executor Coin 1 . Lee, who gave it me; so it is now in my hand." Burnet's Own Time, vol. i. p. 32., fol. edit. 1724.

Can you oblige me with any information con- cerning this interesting paper. GEORGE HODGES. Oxford.

Grey Beards. Where can I see a specimen of those earthen jugs, thus named, which were for- merly used in public-houses for drawing ale ? They had the figure of a man with a large beard stamped on them, whence probably they took their name. HENRY KENSINGTON.

Rhubarb Champagne.

" Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used." Shakspeare.

Can any of your readers inform me if any of the above wine is made in France ? A few years ago, in 1852 or 1853, the French and English papers were loud in their praises of the above discovery ; adding that it was equal, if not superior, to all other champagnes, and that moreover it had this