Page:Notes and Queries - Series 7 - Volume 9.djvu/49

7"> S. IX. JAN. 18, '0.] NOTES AND QUERIES. LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1890.

CONTENTS. No 212.

NOTES : Capt. John Smith, 41 Queen Anne Boleyn, 43 Marriages of Thomas, Lord Darcy St. Sativola, 44 Clink Distances of the Earth from the Sun Aristides : Theo- phrastns Lady de la Beche, 45-Mail Coaches in 1836 Monument in Lichfield Cathedral" Of a' the airts," 46 Stained Glass in Angers Cathedral Similar Passages, 47. QUERIES : Codger Cob-nuts Cob at Gibraltar Use of Flagons at Communion Sir William Milnes, 47 Galway Tribes Sir John Jems Andrew Snape Portrait of Shak- speare-Abraham Venables Kiddlewink ' The Art of Com- plaisance ' Church Boot James Bassett, 48 Lovell Boasted Alive Sowcark Origin of Terminations Authors Wanted, 49.

REPLIES: Burning of Women, 49 Silverpoint, 50 Thrus House -Rookwood Family, 51 Anna Chamberlayne Earl of Deloraine Cromwell Swords-Cog Deaths of near Kin- dred Mittens as Funeral Decorations, 52 -Gulf of Lyons ' History of the Rod '-Portrait of Burns Burial on North Side of a Church, 53 Stanzas on Miss Lepel Hares not eaten by Gauls Hildebrand Horden Italian Vengeance- Practice of the Couvade, 54 Leghs of Acton Burnell Dr. Kuper Eve Cathedral Letters of Naturalization Le- quarrg Chapel Spenserian Commentary, 55 Robert Burton Sir J. Hawkwood The Cockpit, 56 Blunders of Authors Early Church in Dover Robert, Earl of Lindsey But and Ben, 57 Coronation " Black-letter lawyer "Title of Book Wanted, 58 Authors Wanted, 59.

NOTES ON BOOKS: 'The Henry Irving Shakespeare,' Vol. VII. Baring-Gould's ' Old Country Life ' Masson's ' Writings of De Quincey 'Bye's ' Carrow Abbey 'Lloyd's Lewis's 'Ancient Laws of Wales 'Owen's 'Gerald the Welshman ' Dod's ' Peerage.' Notices to Correspondents.

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH OF VIRGINIA.

(Continued from p. 2.)

When writing of Ferneza's book I forgot to mention that, according to Prof. Arber, Don Paacual de Gayangos had seen a printed translation of the Italian "history" rendered into Spanish by a Montalvo. Let us hope that the Senor will kindly favour us with a short description of that bibliographical curiosity. I have reason to suspect that he is mistaken, and it is not impossible that when writing to Prof. Arber he had another book in his mind, viz., Fray Francisco de Montalbo's ' Historia de las Gverras de Vngria,' &c. (Palermo, 1693), a copy of which is in the library of the Madrid Academia de la Historia, probably the very copy which he has seen.

To revert to Capt. Smith. As his travels and doings in Western Europe do not at present concern us, we will allow him to journey to Venice and embark at Malamocco unmolested, and not find fault with his route to Gratz either, buL simply mention that, according to his narrative, he crossed the Adriatic to Ragusa, and "spending some time to see that barren broken coast of Albania and Dalmatia," he proceeded to Capo d'Istria, and from there "travelling the maine of poore Slavonia" to Lubbiano, he finally reached the capital of Styria, where at the court of the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria he met "an English man and an Irish lesnite" who introduced him to "many brave gentlemen of good quality," amongst others "to Lord Ebersbaught, the Baron Kisell, General of the Archduke's Artillery," and to "Colonel Voldo, Earl of Meldritch," all three bold warriors whose names would have remained unknown to posterity and their valiant deeds unrecorded in history if our conscientious historian had not rescued them from oblivion. From Gratz Smith journeyed to Vienna. How he fared afterwards is related in the following chapters.

Our author begins the story of his deeds on Hungarian soil by telling his readers that "after the losse of Caniza, the Turkes with twentie thousand besieged the strong Towne of Olumpagh," and continues by relating how the garrison got into sore straits until he appeared on the scene as a deus ex machinâ, and came to their rescue with a "strange invention" of torch-signals and the unusual "stratagem" of employing dummy "musketteers" to mislead the unsophisticated Turks. The first device enabled "Kisell, the General of the Archduke's Artillery," to inform Lord Ebersbaught, "the Governour [of the fortress], his worthy friend," that he was about to attack the Turks at a specified time and hour, and to ask him to co-operate with the army of relief. The combined attack and sally of the Christians was successful. The stratagem of dummies confused the Turks, and enabled "Kisell to put 2,000 good soldiers into the town before the morning." Many of the Turks were killed, the rest of them very much scared, and, to cut a long story short, they were obliged to raise the siege and return to Kanizsa. In acknowledgment of the good services rendered by him to the Imperial cause Smith was rewarded and made captain of 250 horsemen under the mysterious "Earle of Meldritch."

Palfrey and Prof. Arber think that by Olumpagh Ober-Limbach (in Hung. Felsö Lendva) is meant. A castle of that name exists in Hungary close to Kanizsa, but it is impossible to find any record of a siege at the period in question. Kanizsa as we know, surrendered on Oct. 22, 1600, to Ibrahim, the Grand Vizier, who, having placed a very strong garrison therein, shortly after recrossed the Save and went into winter quarters at Belgrade. The troops thus left behind often sallied forth on foraging expeditions into the neighbourhood, but they could have hardly spared 20,000 men to lay a regular siege to a fortified place.

Olumpagh was, according to Smith's account, on or near the plain of Hysnaburg or, according to