Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/103

 9 th S. III. FEB. 4, '99.]

NOTES AND QUEEIES.

97

'olume, of about this date, dealing in ex- laustive detail with Cape Town and Soutl Africa generally. It is embellished by a large lumber of excellent plates, all particularly )icturesque in their drawing, and realistically
 * oloured. I had the pleasure of spending a

lappy hour with the book in question when dsiting this library at Pietermaritzburg last VI ay. The courteous librarian a Devonshire nan, by the way (Mr. George Hanniford) o particularly drew my attention to the work said he was not aware of the existence jf a duplicate copy. It is in splendid con- dition. HARRY HEMS. Fair Park, Exeter.

Probably the under-mentioned volume may answer your correspondent's purpose : * The Journal of a Residence at the Cape of Good rlope, with Excursions into the Interior, and tes on the Natural History and Native Tribes,' by Charles J. F. Bunbury (Murra 1848). EVERARD HOME GOLEM AN.

71, Brecknock Road.

"SLEEVER" (9 th S. iii. 8). A parallel ex- Dression is the (disused and probably illegal) ' yard " of ale. This is a measure a yard long, lolding, I should fancy, more than a pint, on the breadth of the vessel. Measures of he kind recall compulsory drinking on admission to mock corporations and other convivial fellowships. The annals of the jancashire corporation of Sefton show that Some strange "measures of capacity" exist to-day. Who can explain the "Jeroboam" (three bottles) and the "Kehoboam" (six bottles) of champagne 1 ? They seem to be misnomers. " Benoboam " was certainly the weaker vessel. The nearest approach to a " long " measure is the valincher, or valinch, used in sampling "from the bung." It is used everywhere every day, and yet the word does not even appear in some English dic- tionaries of recent date.
 * hough of course everything would depend
 * he mace-head was used for this purpose.

GEORGE MARSHALL. Sefton Park, Liverpool.

[There is yet another wine measure known as a "tappit hen." What is the exact capacity we forget ; but we have seen it on the table.]

SIR BENJAMIN WRENCH, M.D. (5 th S. v. 48). A query asking particulars concerning his family connexions, c., has remained until now unanswered. It seems worth while even thus late to state that through a son who was in the Exchequer, and died about 1785, he was grandfather of Benjamin Wrench, 1778-1843, a well-known comedian at Drury Lane, the Haymarket, Adelphi, &c. In memory of Sir

Benjamin a living in the gift of the Bishop of Norwich was offered to the father of the comedian. See Oxberry's 'Dramatic Bio- graphy,' iv. 145 et seq. URBAN.

MEMOIRS OF THE PRINCESS DE LAMBALLE

are certainly not unduly severe in describing as "an impudent fabrication." I am ac- quainted with the book, and I do riot hesitate to describe it as 110 less untrustworthy than it is indecent. The ' Diary,' which purports to be by a lady of rank, is manifestly a prurient invention. It is surprising to me that a respectable firm should publish such a work but it is intolerable that the author- ship snould continue to be credited (falsely) on the title-page and in publishers' lists to a clergyman. How can any decent publisher justify to his conscience such a proceeding?

PERTINAX.

MR. WARBURTON'S SERVANT (9 th S. iii. 27). See the 'Introductory Epistle' to 'The Fortunes of Nigel' for a characteristic and humorous reference to " that unhappy Eliza- beth or Betty Barnes, long cook-maid to Mr. Warburton, the painful collector."

THOMAS BAYNE.

Helensburgh, N.B.

John Warburton, F.R.S., F.S.A., was the culprit no bishop he, but Somerset Herald ; born 1682, appointed 1720, died 1759, much disliked. A list of his plays is given in full detail, Gentleman's Magazine, vol. Ixxxv. . 217, Sept., 1815 ; signed " Fredk. Thorn- ill." A. HALL.

THE ORIGIN OF " TAW " (9 th S. ii. 385). As boys we used to play a game of marbles here known as " dob in the ring," which consisted of starting from a certain point known as " taw," and endeavouring to knock out with a big " dob " as many marbles as possible from a ring in which they had been placed. Play was resumed from the spot where the ' dob " rested after it had been thrown, but under certain circumstances the player was ordered " back to taw." The word " taw " in oquial in the Midland Counties of England as well as in the United States.
 * his sense may therefore be said to be col-

JOHN T. PAGE. West Haddon, Northamptonshire.

The only game at marbles I know called ' taw " is " chuck-taw " one which we called a " goo ter skowl gam," because it was played as we went along, and got us over the ground